Lost and Found
by Quixotica
Summary: REVISED! What if Samuel had a daughter he didn't know about... what if she came looking for him? Will this family reunion have a happy ending, or is something dark lurking around the corner? Ok, first ever fanfic and I suck at summaries, please R
1. Preface

**Disclaimer - I own NOTHING you recognise.**

**Alrighty then. If you are new, welcome! And I hope you enjoy the story!**

**If you are one of the people who read the original chapters, you are in for some surprises! I hope you like the renovations, please give me your opinion of them and I really do suggest you read all of therevised chapters, just so you don't get confused later on if something is different. :)**

**Happy reading!**

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**Preface – Introducing Annie Conway**

Anastasia Jocelyn Conway, or Annie as she preferred, was tough. Growing up the way she had, it was only natural. Annie's mother Vivian had been a single mother from the get-go. Annie didn't know her father, as her mother never told her about him, she had found out when she was little that it was best not to mention it at all, since her mother got so sad whenever Annie asked. Vivian had given birth to Annie when she was 20, and from what her mother did tell her, she gathered that they had met in college. They had moved from Texas to Ann Arbor Michigan when she was 5 and lived happily up until her mother's death when she was 8.

She wasn't even sure how it happened; one minute they were driving along, the next thing she knew she waking up in the hospital, with no memory of the car crash. The doctor said it was amnesia caused by PTSD and her concussion; Annie didn't really care what it was called, it was just a blank place in her mind that was filled in during her nightmares.

With no home, and no known father or any other family member, Annie had been shoved into the Michigan foster care system. She was bounced from home to home, some nice, others dire. No one had wanted to keep her for too long, She was 'troublesome', not willing to take orders and always breaking the rules (and occasionally the law). With no steady home-life, Annie had very few possessions, her most important things being a small photo album and her mother's old diary. Reading it, Annie learned that the name of her father was Samuel Cornick.

As a child she dreamt of him coming to find her and take her away to live in some big house. Only he never came. She realized that he would never find her, since he didn't even know he was supposed to be looking. Her mother had left Samuel without telling him about their child.

Annie grew up on the mean streets of Michigan, stealing to get by when her foster carers refused to provide for her, getting into trouble with the law and working at a chop shop selling stolen cars before being placed in juvenile detention for boosting cars. As it turned out, incarceration was the best thing that happened to Annie since being in foster care. Away from the derelict foster homes and abusive adults, she got her GED a year early and got a job working in a library when she was released. She loved books and saw them as her ticket out of Ann Arbor.

When she was 18 she rented an apartment, she then bought a car, an old 80's Dodge Charger. Her apartment was tiny, but that didn't matter, she liked her car better anyways. Finally out of the foster care system and standing on her own two feet, she was free. Annie didn't know what she wanted to do in life, but she knew there was something she had to do. She had to find her father.

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_Ta da! Any and all feedback and constructive criticism is welcome! So don't forget to review ladies and gentlemen._

_Quick._


	2. The Drive

**Disclamer - I own NOTING you recognize. Everything you do recognize belongs to Patricia Briggs or someone else awesome. **

**I only own the original characters and most of the plot.**

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**Chapter 1 – The Drive**

Annie looked around the sparsely furnished apartment that she called home. This would be last time she was here for at least three days. After over a year of searching she had finally tracked down her father – or so she hoped. She had started with her mother's old university records, looking for any Samuel Cornicks that had attended that university at the same time as her mother. She was surprised at first to find that there was only one, a med student, but then surmised that Cornick was not the most common last name in Texas – which was where her mother had been at the time. Tracking down where he lived had been the hard part; after a few years he had dropped off the earth, leaving no record of where he had gone, finally resurfacing as a doctor at a hospital in the Tri-cities in Washington, state. After tracking down his work, she had been able to find his address; Annie had always had a good relationship with computers, even if other electrical appliances such as toasters and microwaves didn't like her.

Letting out a puff of air, Annie hoisted her drab green duffel bag – courtesy of the local army disposal store – over her shoulder and stepped out of the apartment, locking the door behind her. Her landlord Archie, a decent man in his late 50's with a receding hairline and mild arthritis, had promised to keep an eye on her apartment while she was away. Archie used to be a boxer, and while he has long since retired from the ring his 6 ft 3 broad shouldered frame would still make a would-be burglar think twice. Archie had often joked that Annie had the opposite effect; standing at 5 ft 2 and weighing 118lbs, there was hardly anything threatening in the slim, pale 19 year-old's appearance.

Taking the three flights down to the lobby – it was unadvisable to use the elevator – Annie made her way to her pride and joy, a 1980's dodge charger, painted orange by its previous owner. She had once thought to re-paint it black, but lacking the money for the job, Annie had put it off and slowly but surely the obnoxious color grew on her. Chucking her duffel in the back, Annie hopped into the driver's seat and with a quick prayer slid the key into the ignition and turned. The engine rumbled to life, and with a quick "thank you", she was out of the car park and onto the road.

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It had been early morning when Annie had left, avoiding the worst of Thursday's traffic. When she pulled over almost 10 hours later in St Louis, Missouri it was late after-noon. After filling up the tank and buying some snacks to tide her over, Annie drove another two hours to Columbia where she would be staying in a motel. Pulling into the parking lot outside the large brick building, Annie parked her car and retrieved her duffel bag before making her way to the entrance. Leaning against the linoleum covered desk she waited a moment before spotting a sign that stated 'Ring bell if untended' complete with an arrow pointing towards the silver desk bell. Ringing it once, Annie heard someone shuffling about just out of eyesight before a young man in his late teens came around the corner. His nametag pronounced that this was Jerry.

"Hello m'am how can I help you?" Jerry had taken one look at her and his face went from sour to embarrassed, quickly followed by pleasant. Annie had never had much luck with boys - she tended to steer clear of the male population all through high school. She never thought of herself as pretty either, she had an oval shaped face with a delicate chin she thought was too small. Her blonde hair was – as per usual – kept in a ponytail, with her fringe covering her eyebrows. She had a cupids bow mouth and a straight nose. The only feature Annie thought was particularly nice was her eyes. She had grey-blue eyes that were contrasted by the dark ring around the outside. Her mother's eyes had been a hazel-green, leaving Annie to believe she had gotten her eyes from her father.

"I booked a room online." Annie said, not interested in small talk, especially after spending that long on the road. After checking out her details and asking to see her receipt, the office boy handed her the key, his face no longer holding the hopeful look now that he had realized that she wasn't interested in making small talk.

Closing and locking the door behind her, Annie looked around the kitsch decorated motel room. It was small, with a door to the bathroom/toilet at the far end to her right. On her left was a two-seater couch with an imitation wood coffee table. There was a double bed in the far left corner of the room, and a TV set was against the right wall, angled so that it could be watched from either the couch or the bed. Setting her bag down on the cream and off-yellow outfitted bed, Annie set to work. First she paced around her room, checking every possible entry point – and exit, in the event she needed to make a quick getaway. Getting acquainted with her environment like this was second nature, though it brought back painful memories. Memories of a time long ago where the only thing she had worried about was the boogie man in the closet, a fear that had been soothed by the stories and songs her mother had whispered in her ear as she nodded off to sleep. Shaking off the memory of her mother's voice, Annie got ready for bed.

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Dressed in her pajamas –a sports bra covered by a tank top and a pair of grey track pants, Annie never wore anything she couldn't run in if she had to – Annie finished her nighttime routine and put away her toiletries and hairbrush. Feeling tired, Annie flopped onto the bed and placed her arms behind her head, gently kicking her duffel bag onto the floor. Staring up at the ceiling, Annie let her mind wander. She had never felt the absence of her father, she had had a mother who loved her and that was all she needed. When the accident happened, she had been ripped away from every comfort she had known and thrust into the face of an ugly truth: the world outside her little home was a cruel, dangerous place, especially for a troubled young girl in foster care. After being bounced from place to place, Annie soon came to realize that no one really wanted her, the foster parents who took her in had never loved her, cared for her or protected her. They were opportunists looking to take advantage of government incentives and cheap labor, often using their 'children' as slaves or punching bags; the only thing they loved about her was the fortnightly check that she came with. It had taken Annie a while to understand this concept, and for the first two years she had hoped, prayed and desperately believed in her case workers every time they said that this next home would be different - that things would change. Faced with such a harsh reality, Annie had finally understood the other universal truth in her life; that you could only ever rely on yourself, and no matter what anyone ever said, nothing was going to get better unless you made it that way. Rolling away from those thoughts, Annie forced herself to remember why she was in this cheap motel room; with no foreseeable prospects and no one waiting for her in NC, she was here to find her father, her one last hope of finding someone who cared, someone who acknowledged her existence as more than just another foster kid. With that in mind, Annie fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

* * *

Annie headed off early the next day, racing the morning sunlight into the west. Placing a cd into the player in her car she let the deep sounds of a guitar filter through her car. While driving through the rest of Missouri and into Nebraska, Annie occupied herself with songs by Lifehouse, Incubus, Vertical Horizon and early U2. It was after 5:30 pm by the time she drove into Cheyenne, Wyoming. She would be coming up to her next motel soon, and made a mental note to stop at a take out place along the way. After stopping off and getting some Chinese food, Annie consulted her map once more to find the motel. By 7pm she was back in a non-descript bedroom, ready for her next night of motel-living. Annie never liked sleeping in strange places, but her routine helped, no to mention that she had a Ruger SP101 revolver in her duffle bag. She didn't really fancy the idea of shooting anyone, and she wasn't exactly sure what good it was going to do tucked inside her duffle bag, but the fact that it was there if she needed it was always a comforting thought.

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The next day Annie was once again on the road for the final leg of her journey to the Tri-Cities. Turning on the cd player again, Annie drove for several hours without stopping for breakfast. She wasn't that hungry, the closer she got to Washington the more nervous she got. She didn't know what to expect, but since he was a doctor he was most likely rich, living in some three story house with pristine lawns and pillars framing the porch. What would he think of this young, scruffy looking woman with ink stains on her fingers?

Arriving in the motel parking lot after dark at the motel in Kennewick Annie tiredly got out of her car and trudged to the entrance of the motel. After being served by a nice elderly lady with thick glasses named Gertrude Annie went straight to her room and collapsed on her bed. Today's trip had been the longest one, starting at 6am – it was now 10pm. _For an activity done sitting down_, Annie thought, _driving sure does take a lot out of you_. With that last thought Annie drifted to sleep, allowing her magic to spread out and wrap around her like a protective cocoon as she was too tired to do anything else.

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The next morning Annie found herself waking up thanks to the mid-morning light streaming through the window by the bed. Sitting up with her eyes squeezed shut, Annie had the brief sensation of falling before her tailbone, followed by her back and head, collided with the floor.

"Ow." Annie croaked, cracking first one eye open then the other. She had fallen asleep fully clothed in faded blue jeans and an old t shirt and grey zip up hoodie. Some time in the night her legs had tangled themselves in the bed-sheets, causing her legs to be caught half on, half off the bed while the rest of her was on the floor. Sighing Annie disentangled her lower half from the attacking fabric and made her way towards the bathroom. Catching her reflection in the mirror above the sink Annie examined herself for a moment. She was pale, like her mother, though lacking her mother's freckles that had dusted her nose and cheeks. Staring into her reflection she wondered if this Samuel Cornick would know who she was. It seemed unlikely, given that he had never met her before, but perhaps her features would make it obvious. Shrugging off the thought Annie undressed and got into the shower. Half an hour later she stood in the center of her rented room fully clothed and towel drying her mid-length hair. She had put on her good jeans, which really weren't much better than her other pair, but where made of darker material so the grease, ink and paint stains didn't stand out so much. She had put on a red t shirt proclaiming that she was a Texas Rangers fan – some habits are hard to break – paired with red sneakers and her trusty hoodie zipped up half way with the sleeves pushed up to her elbows. Placing the towel in the laundry hamper by the bed Annie ran a brush through her slightly damp hair before throwing it up in a quick bun. Her clothes were clean, her hair brushed, the makeup she usually forgot about had been applied, she was pulling out all the stops today. Checking her watch she wondered if a doctor would be home on a Sunday afternoon. Packing her belongings in her duffel bag – she didn't feel like leaving anything in the room while she wasn't there, especially the Ruger.

* * *

Pulling her car into the street in Finley, Annie thought that perhaps she had the wrong guy after all. There were small houses on lots on either side of the road, although she did see a few mansions overlooking the river in neighboring streets. Slowing the car to read house numbers on mailboxes, Annie finally came across the number she was looking for. Tapping the breaks she stopped in front of a single-wide trailer that had seen better days. The siding had recently been replaced, and there seemed to be an old broken down car in the back of the lot. There were two cars parked out front, and Annie suddenly got the feeling that this was probably not the best idea. This Samuel probably wasn't her father, and even if he was he had most definitely moved on from his college days. What if he had a family, a wife and kids that he loved? Why on earth would he want her turning up on his doorstep; a part of his past he didn't know, a trouble-maker who didn't fit in anywhere and had an impressive list of misdemeanors in the North Carolina police records. The engine was still running, all she had to do was floor the gas pedal and she'd be out of there.

"Don't be weak." Annie chided herself aloud. "Never be weak. Stick to your guns. Don't back down." Cutting the engine, Annie got out of the car and locked the doors, resolutely walking towards the door to the trailer. All the way there she felt as though she was being watched. Taking a deep breath, she knocked three times on the door. Not three seconds later the door swung open to reveal a woman in her late 20's. She was pretty, with dark hair and eyes and slightly darker skin, and Annie deducted that she must be part Native American. _Don't be weak. Stick to your guns. Don't back down._ Annie repeated that thought in her head like a mantra as she asked "I'm looking for a man named Samuel Cornick, is he here?" The woman took a good look at her, lingering on her eyes.

"I am Samuel Cornick." A mans voice said from behind the older woman. Annie's gaze snapped up over the woman's shoulder, unnerved that she hadn't noticed his approach to the door. The woman however didn't seem to be fazed.

Annie stared at Samuel. He wasn't handsome, but his aristocratic features were striking none the less and easy on the eye. His eyes caught hers; they were just like her own. There was power there, and it intimidated her. _Screw the guns, _she thought.

"Good for you." Annie said before abruptly turning and hurtling herself away from the porch and towards her car.

* * *

Inside the House

Mercy was slowly sorting out her room, it had been a while since she had last done this, and had only gotten around to it because today was her day off from the garage and Adam was in Washington D.C. on some political errand for Bran. She gave in to her hunger after looking at her watch and realized that she had missed lunch. Walking to the kitchen she wondered what was in the fridge – Samuel was the one who bought the groceries these days. She had just opened the fridge door when she heard the sound of an unfamiliar car come slowly to a stop outside of her house. Peaking through the window she was able to see an 80's model Charger painted a vivid orange parked on the street. The driver lingered for a minute with the engine on before turning it off and hopping out of the car. From what she could tell, the stranger – for Mercy had never seen this person before – was a young woman, dressed casually in dark wash jeans and a grey hoodie over a red t shirt. Said woman stared at the trailer before walking purposefully towards the front door. Mercy waited for the stranger to knock on the door before going to answer it. Opening the door she was hit by two things; first was that this woman didn't seem to be that much older than Jesse; and secondly that she smelled nervous and apprehensive.

"I'm looking for a man named Samuel Cornick, is he here?" Mercy could here a determination in her voice as well as her anxiety. Behind her she could hear Samuel coming to the door, he must have been curious about their visitor.

"I am Samuel Cornick." He said, coming to a stop just behind her to her left. At the sound of his voice the girl looked quickly towards Samuel, not having heard his approach. Samuel and Mercy watched as a series of emotions flashed across the mystery-woman's face before a mask of indifference came over her. Despite this though both the werewolf and the walker could smell her fear and adrenalin just as well as they heard her heart rate spike. The woman on Mercy's doorstep held Samuel's gaze for a couple of seconds before speaking.

"Good for you." She said, and with that she was off, almost running back towards her car. Her fear mixed with her odd behavior made Samuel give chase, while Mercy stayed by the door. Whoever this was they were human, and obviously no match for a werewolf, especially not Samuel, so she knew her friend was not in danger.

Samuel caught up to the stranger in a few strides and reached out and wrapped a hand around her wrist, spinning her around to face him.

"Hey." He said as her stunned eyes traveled from his hand up to his eyes. "Who are you?" She blinked, then looked down at her shoes.

"M-my name is Anastasia. Anastasia Conway." She answered, her voice gathering volume and confidence as she spoke. His grip loosened on her arm, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion and recognition. Her last name was familiar, too familiar. Anastasia peered up at him through her eyelashes, noticing his expression. She drew in a breath and continued. "I was wondering if you knew my mother, her name was Vivian."

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Annie watched as the man stilled at her mother's name. That was a good sign right? Perhaps he was the right guy. Samuel looked down – for she was quite short compared to him- into her face, as if he was searching for something. Finally, after a long pause that had Annie shifting from foot to foot, he let go of her wrist.

"I think we should talk inside."

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_Hope you liked it! Please review, it means the world to us authors. _:)

_Quick._


	3. Like Father Like Daughter

**Disclamer - I own nothing that doesn't belong to me. Nor do I claim to.**

**AN: If you spot any inconsistencies or errors,** **please PM me or leave it in your review so I can fix it! Thanks. **

**Also, please REVIEW! lol**

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**Chapter 2 – Like Father Like Daughter**

"I think we should talk inside." He said in a voice that let on nothing about his feelings towards this odd encounter.

Without another word he turned back towards the mobile home and started walking, obviously expecting Annie to follow, which she did, since part of her was curious – the other part was a nervous wreck. Samuel passed a stoic Mercy on his way into the house, followed by Annie. Mercy was racking her brain trying to remember if Samuel had ever mentioned a Vivian Conway, but came up with nothing, so decided to wait and see how this meeting played out.

The three congregated in the living room, where Medea immediately spotted Annie and began meowing, rubbing her face across Annie's legs to mark this visitor as hers. Looking down, Annie allowed a crooked smile and bent down to briefly scratch the cat behind her ears. Straightening, she looked around the room and cleared her throat nervously, shoving both hands in the front pockets of her jeans. Noticing this girl's obvious discomfort, Mercy decided to break the ice.

"I'm Mercedes Thompson." She said, holding out her hand. Annie turned and returned the gesture.

"Anastasia Conway; Annie for short." The girl had a firm handshake, with calluses around her fingers, as though she worked with her hands a lot. Mercy liked that, this was a girl that held her own. Looking into her eyes, she was hit once again by deja vous; it was as though Samuel's eyes were staring out of the face of a young woman. She wasn't sure why she didn't make the connection before; they even had a similar nose. The girl before couldn't be older than 20. Mercy was shocked. If they were related, the girl's behavior would make sense, after all, how would you react to meeting a long lost family member for the first time? Mercy let go of Annie's hand and looked toward Samuel. His face was a mask she couldn't read, but the tension in his shoulders was visible and she could smell his nervousness. To Mercy, the idea of Samuel being nervous was about as shocking as the arrival of this teenager.

Clearing his throat, Samuel was the first to speak.

"What makes you think I know your mother?" He asked, sitting down on one end of the couch and inviting her to do the same. Annie shook her head at his invitation, preferring to stand and Mercy got the impression from her stance that she was still considering bolting out the door.

"Well, um- did you? Know my mother, I mean." She stammered, her apprehension clearly visible.

"I knew a Vivian Conway back in medical school, she left before I graduated." He said. Annie nodded her head, as though he had confirmed something she had thought. Mercy was scrambling to connect the dots. She remembered Samuel's breakdown around two years ago, and how he had told her about a woman he had met in college, but she had left him, leaving a note explaining that a baby was not something either of them could deal with, that she was having an abortion.

"I-I'm not sure if she told you, but she left because she was pregnant." Annie said hesitantly. She peered at Samuel's face searching for his reaction. Samuel shifted in his chair.

"I was under the impression that she had an abortion." Everyone in the room heard the unspoken question in his voice. The question he was terrified to ask; _was that a lie, are you my daughter?_ Annie flinched slightly. She didn't know what her mother had said, but she had read her mother's diary entry for the day of the scheduled operation. She wasn't able to go through with it, and had run from the clinic. Not wanting to face Samuel, she had left. She had said that it was for his own good, he was a brilliant student, and would make a wonderful doctor.

"I was born on the 3rd of June, 1990 in Texas. My mother left college in December. She was about three months pregnant when she left." She said, by way of explanation. Something akin to hope flashed across Samuel's face.

"I see." He said after a significant pause. He didn't know what to say, it was surreal having this girl before him, all but outright claiming to be his long lost daughter who he thought had been killed before her birth.

Mercy looked between the two people in her living room. Neither of them were paying attention to her, with Samuel's eyes locked on Anastasia's form. The girl in question was now staring resolutely at her shoe laces, although Mercy caught the human's eyes flicker towards her for a moment before traveling to the floor again; proof that she had not forgotten about the other occupant of the trailer. Annie shoved her hands in her pockets in a bid to ignore their shaking. Taking a deep breath she raised her chin, meeting Samuel's eyes with her own.

"I came here to ask if you were my father." The charge between them was almost visible, and Mercy gave Annie points for not looking away, most people have trouble holding the gaze of a dominant wolf. Matching the teenager's stare, Samuel replied.

"I would like to think that I am." Something in Annie's stance changed, she lost the tension in her legs that had her poised for a mad dash to the door. The tension in the room lessened considerably, and Annie dropped her gaze before turning to look at Mercy.

"I'm sorry about that; I've kind of been ignoring you. Are you two…' she let the sentence trail off, unsure if she wanted to know the relationship between this woman and her apparent father.

"We're just friends, Samuel lives in my house as a roommate." Mercy replied, noticing the relief flash across the younger woman's face. Mercy understood how she felt, remembering how awkward it was in the beginning when she had returned to live with her mother to discover she had a stepfather and half-siblings. She had felt as though she was intruding on a life and a family that wasn't really hers. "I'm going to get a glass of water, does anybody want anything?"

"I'll have a cup of juice Mercy." Samuel said, throwing an appreciative smile her way. He knew she was trying to give him and his daughter some privacy. _His daughter._

Annie shrugged.

"If its orange juice sure, but water's fine too." Mercy's mouth twitched into a smile – she had always wondered if taste buds were genetic – and walked out of the room and into the kitchen. Once they were alone, Annie and Samuel found that they couldn't think of much to say.

"So…" Samuel started, but soon trailed off.

"Awkward." Annie supplied, the right corner of her mouth turning up into a crooked smile, something that she had inherited from her mother. "We should probably do DNA tests," Samuel's eyebrows drew together at this. Seeing his expression Annie hastily continued. "Just to make sure, ya know. As a precaution." Samuel nodded, not really agreeing but more acknowledging the idea. It was a logical assumption that he would want solid proof that they were related, but his wolf could tell, not to mention that his features had been stamped across her face along with her mother's.

Mercy came back into the room, handing out the glasses of orange juice. Slowly, but with confidence, Annie took the few steps forward and sat on the opposite end of the couch to Samuel. After taking a sip of her juice, she set the cup down on the coffee table, being sure to place it on a spare coaster.

Samuel took this opportunity to study Anastasia up close. She was small, about 5 feet tall and thin, though not unhealthy. Her mother hadn't been a tall woman either. A smaller version of his straight nose sat on her face, and her mother's mouth sat below it. Her features were delicate, her wrists and hands were fine boned, but her fingers had small calluses, and he could see something had stained her fingernails blue in some places and black in others. Breathing in her scent, he could smell linseed oil and paint, mixed with motor oil and charcoal. She herself smelled a bit like cinnamon, and her emotions were sharp, she was nervous but had calmed considerably since entering the house. Her stance was still wary and her eyes would occasionally flick around to Mercy, the front door, and the hallway to her left, giving Samuel the impression of someone who was waiting to be attacked.

"So, does your mother know you're here?" He asked, trying to keep his voice calm, he wasn't sure weather to be angry at Vivian for leaving or happy that she had kept their child after all. Annie, who had been about to take a sip of her juice, stilled, placing the cup back down on the table with considerable deliberation. For all that she looked composed when she faced him, Samuel's nose was still hit with the strength of her pain and upset.

"My mother died when I was eight. She never put you on the birth certificate, so you were never contacted." She said evenly, in contrast to her wavering emotions. The part of Samuel that had wanted desperately to see Vivian was crushed; he would never see her again. It hurt, but he needed to ask.

"How did she die?" Annie's forehead wrinkled for a moment before the mask was once again in place.

"Car accident." She replied, the scent of her emotions dulling until they had disappeared entirely, leaving only traces of her grief behind. She had lied, that much was obvious, and she was good at it, he wasn't sure if another human would catch it, but werewolves, and especially older, more dominant ones like himself, could scent a lie from a mile away. Deciding not to pressure her about it just yet, as she seemed the type to flee at the first sign of danger, he changed the subject.

"Where have you been, ever since the accident?" he asked, trying to remember if Vivian had ever mentioned having any siblings.

"I was placed in the foster care system." Annie said, careful not to give away anything. Mercy frowned at that. She had taken to leaning against the kitchen counter closest to the living room, still there but unobtrusive. The foster care system was not always the best place for children, and from what she could tell about Annie, her time had not been pleasant. She reminded her of a wild animal, afraid to get too close and never totally relaxed. Samuel must have noticed too, for she could see his shoulders tighten and caught the tangy scent of his protective anger. Before anybody could respond to Annie's reply, a phone went off, proving to be a great distraction as Annie's eyes snapped to the source of the noise, which happened to be Mercy's cell phone on the coffee table – playing, off all things, the Elephant Baby Walk. "I didn't even know you could get Henry Mancini music as a ringtone." Annie whispered thoughtfully to herself.

Hitting the call button without bothering to check the caller id, Mercy quickly walked back to her place near the kitchen.

"Hello." She asked, still keeping an eye on the two people in her living room.

"Hey Mercy, are you busy tonight?" the smooth tones of Warren reached her ears, his southern drawl unmistakable. Mercy bit her lip, looking again towards the living room, briefly catching the eye of the younger woman, who had apparently decided to look over at her too.

"I'm not sure." She replied, and Warren must have picked up something in her voice because he instantly went into dominant wolf mode.

"What's wrong?" he asked, the tone of his voice gaining a protective edge."

"Nothing's wrong, I have a guest." She replied, forcing herself not to look towards the couch.

"Well, it was… nice meeting you, but I think I'm going to head off. I will give you my number, I'm staying in a motel close by, so I'll be in town tomorrow." Annie's voice was clear as day, and Mercy could hear her stand up, followed closely by Samuel. Warren must have heard it too.

"Who is that?" he asked curiously, not recognizing the voice. Mercy thought about how to explain that said voice belonged to the possible – and very likely – daughter of Samuel Cornick and decided not to bother.

"I can explain tonight, what did you have in mind?" Mercy watched from the corner of her eye as Annie gave something to Samuel before heading towards the door.

"Okay." Warren said slowly, confused as to why she couldn't explain now, but letting it slide anyways. "Kyle and I are going to have a movie night, and he wanted to know if you were up for it." Warren and Kyle both knew that Adam was out of town, perhaps this was their way of showing that they cared. Mercy had been going through some rough times recently, and Adam had become an anchor of sorts, and now, with her being an official member of the pack as well as his mate, she could feel his absence like a lost limb.

"I'd love to, what time should I be there?" she asked as Samuel closed the door after Anastasia had left.

'If you could get to Kyle's house at around 7, that would be good." He replied. Looking at her watch, Mercy discovered that it was almost 5:30. Sure, I can make it. And with that she hung up, turning to face Samuel.

* * *

"Well, it was… nice meeting you, but I think I'm going to head off. I will give you my number, I'm staying in a motel close by, so I'll be in town tomorrow." Annie said, standing up and placing her now empty glass on the table. Looking at the girl before him, he knew better than to try and convince her to stay; it would only scare her off. Samuel stood and waited patiently as Annie dug into her back pocket and pulled out a pen, using a scrap piece of paper lying on the coffee table to write down her name and cell phone number. Handing him the piece of paper, Annie stood awkwardly for a moment, opening her mouth to say something before closing it again. With a small shake of her head, her confidence returned, and she looked directly into Samuel's eyes. He wondered briefly if she meant to keep challenging him, but dismissed it; she was unaware that Samuel was a werewolf, and it was probably her nature to meet people's eyes. He had been surprised at first that she could hold his gaze for so long, but then decided it must be a combination of his wolf's curiosity about her and her own personality, she seemed like the type of person who didn't like to be told what to do. Escorting her to the front door, Samuel paused.

"I- thank you for coming." He said after a moment. A thoughtful wrinkle appeared on Annie's forehead. She nodded once in acknowledgment and opened the door.

"Tell Mercedes I said goodbye." She said, glancing towards the woman who was still on the phone.

"I will." And with that she was out the door, walking promptly to her car. As she started the engine, Samuel closed the door. He could hear Mercy saying goodbye to Warren, and walked casually over to lea on the wall opposite the kitchen. After hanging up, Mercy turned and looked at her roommate. Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, he let all of the emotions he had been keeping in check flow over him. He had a daughter. She was alive and here and she had sought him out. He had wanted to ask her so many questions but didn't know which ones to ask first. How did you find me? Where have you been? What happened to you? What do you like? What don't you like? He had missed so much, and he felt as though she could slip through his fingers like sand if he wasn't careful.

"Sam?" Mercy's voice reached his ears, concern lacing through the under-tones.

"Give me a minute." He said, breathing deeply. Her scent lingered in the room, proving that she was real, that she had been there. Opening his eyes he looked at Mercy. "I have a daughter." He stated, getting the feel of the words on his tongue. He felt… overwhelmed, like he had had the breath taken out of him but he was also relieved. He had a child, a living, breathing child.

"I'm going over to Kyle's house for a movie night in about an hour." Mercy knew that Samuel had heard both sides of her phone conversation, but decided that he had probably dismissed it for more pressing matters – such as Annie. Samuel nodded absently, his mind focused inward on an emotion she couldn't quite discern. She surmised that Samuel wasn't sure of how he felt either. Gathering up the empty cups and washing them in the sink, Mercy gave Samuel a wide birth, deciding not to disturb him; he needed time to digest the events of this afternoon and their implications. Hell, _she_ needed time to sort everything out. Retreating to her room, she heard Samuel's door close.

* * *

**In the car.**

Annie made sure to pay extra attention to her driving as she made her way back to the motel. She didn't want to think too much about what had just occurred unless she caused an accident. Stopping at a red light a growl emitted from her stomach, causing Annie to look down at her watch. She had missed lunch, and slept through breakfast, which was probably the reason she was suddenly very hungry. Turning on her indicator, Annie waited for the light to change before pulling into the parking lot of a local burger house/restaurant. Walking into the cheery restaurant, Annie slid into the booth closest to the door making sure to face the entrance and picked up the menu. Her caution was not deliberate, rather an unconscious habit ingrained from relying on caution and awareness for survival. Focusing on the menu in front of her and her hunger, Annie didn't notice when the man sitting behind her in the connecting booth straitened his posture and turned his head to look at her.

* * *

**In the restaurant.**

Ben had been sitting down for about ten minutes when the little bell above the door to his favorite burger shop announced another customer's arrival. This in itself was not that interesting, however, as said person sat down behind him in the adjoined booth, the breeze from the closing door wafted in his direction, carrying the newcomer's scent with it. She was female, healthy, and smelled like cinnamon, but what caught his attention were the smells attached to her. She smelled of Mercy and Samuel, the scent of the other werewolf was strong on her, and he could also pick up traces of cat, oil, and something else he couldn't quite place but reminded him of an arts shop he always passed on his way from his apartment to the local video rental store. Straightening instinctively at the lingering smell of another werewolf, Ben cautiously moved his head to the side, appearing to stare out the window, but in actuality trying to get a glimpse of the woman behind him.

From what he could tell she was short, with mid-length dark blonde hair tied up in a ponytail, the ends curling around each other in large ringlets. She had a long, delicate neck and a soft jaw line. Her pale skin looked smooth, with just a hint of makeup. His angle wasn't great, but he determined she was young, but not too young, and perhaps pretty. That still didn't explain who she was or why she smelled like Mercy and Samuel Cornick. The fact that she smelled like she had been around Mercy didn't mean much, since Mercy lived with Samuel. It was the scent of the male wolf that had piqued his interest. Turning back towards his table just in time to receive his food from the waitress, he listened attentively as the waitress walked over to the woman behind him.

"What can I get you today?" he heard the waitress ask, pulling out a notepad and pencil.

"I'll have the original burger with extra pickles and a coke thanks." The voice was soft, but not quiet. It reminded him of honey; it wasn't high pitched, but still distinctly female. As the waitress left with the menu, Ben heard the woman behind him sigh and settle back in her chair. Breathing in deeply, he tasted her mood. She was tired; there were lingering hints of anxiety, adrenalin and fear, though none were strong enough to excite his wolf. Her breathing and heart rate were both even, and so Ben waited for a clue as to who she was, much like a predator waiting for his prey to give away their position. A few minutes later the waitress came back with the woman's food, and Ben had time to feel irritated hat she didn't have to wait half as long as he had for his food. _Women and their bloody 'thank you's and manners._ He thought with a sneer.

The girl behind him thanked the waitress again, and began eating her meal. She wasn't rushed, which meant that she didn't need to be anywhere soon, her actions were more thoughtful, as if she were lost in thought. Ben ate his meal while all the while keeping his attention on the girl in question. When said girl stood up to leave, so did he, taking time to put on his brown leather jacket and catch the waitress's attention. After paying his bill he made a show of adjusting his jacket and made his way towards the exit. While passing the mystery-girl's table he was able to catch a good look at her face. She was definitely attractive; she had large blue eyes framed by dark lashes, a perfectly straight nose and red lips. Smirking, Ben took his time looking over the oblivious girl as she gave the middle-aged waitress a tip. Waltzing out the glass door Ben took his time walking towards his car. He didn't turn when he heard the door open again, just adjusted his steps so that she would pass him on the way to the parking lot.

Giving him a wide birth, the girl quickly made a bee line for an orange 80's model Dodge. Passing said car on his way to his truck, Ben was able to see just how short she was, seeing that her head would only come up to his shoulder. His smirk grew wider, and as he got into his truck and turned his keys in the ignition, he contemplated following her. His thoughts were put on hold however when his cell phone rang. Pulling it out of his pocket with a curse he flipped it open.

"Ben here." He said, agitation making his accent crisp.

"It's Adam." Said the voice on the other end. "I am coming home early, I have Jesse with me. I will be at the airport in an hour, be waiting to pick us up." The phone clicked and the line went dead. Something had happened, that much was obvious otherwise Adam would not have cut his trip to D.C. short. Pulling out of the parking lot, Ben gave in to the aggravation of his wolf for being forced off the hunt.

* * *

_Ok, first official chapter up, hope you enjoyed it :P_

_Quick._


	4. New Developments

**Disclaimer - I still don't own anything.  
**

* * *

**Chapter 3 – New Developments**

**Annie's booth.**

Annie slid into the corner of the four-seater red vinyl booth and picked up the laminated menu. The prices were reasonable, which was good since working at a library didn't exactly bring in the big bucks. Choosing quickly and waiting patiently to be served, Annie looked around the room. Along the walls there were booths identical to her, and there was a counter at the front starting from the opposite wall and ending about 4 feet from the door. Red vinyl circular barstools were lined up along it, and there was a man on the opposite side serving the customers sitting there. A waitress in her mid 30's with hair that reminded Annie of an 80's rock band came out of the back via a swinging door carrying someone's meal. Serving the man in the booth behind her, the waitress then shuffled over to Annie.

"What can I get you today?" the woman asked, pulling a notepad and pencil out of her apron pocket. Annie straightened and gave the waitress a kind smile.

"I'll have the original burger with extra pickles and a coke thanks." She replied, waiting for the woman to write down her order before handing over the menu. The older woman nodded and gave Annie a smile before bustling off to the door she had come out of. Annie had found that it paid to have a nice attitude towards wait-staff and after working in a Chinese restaurant during high school, she knew how much easier it was when the customers made an effort to be nice.

Slouching in her seat, Annie let out a long breath and let her mind wander. Her father was… not what she had expected. Not that she knew what to expect, but still. He seemed to be older than he looked, but looked younger that he was… it was confusing. He had something else too, she had seen it lurking in his eyes, but she couldn't put her finger on what it was exactly.

Sitting up as the waitress came back with her food, Annie one again thanked the woman and began to eat. It was power, she decided, some kind of power that was a part of him. Taking a sip of coke, she rolled the thought around her head. He had a presence, but she didn't feel threatened by him. Their meeting had been awkward, but not despondent. There seemed to be a hope for something. Now that she had finally tracked down her father she wasn't really sure what to think. He didn't live in a fancy mansion, hadn't kicked her off his front porch, and hadn't done anything to suggest that she wasn't welcome. As she ate her thoughts turned to the woman, Mercedes. The woman had a firm handshake, with strong, calloused fingers. There was a woman who made her living on her hands. She liked Mercy, she decided. Mercy didn't hover, ask questions or make her feel uncomfortable. Annie wasn't sure what their relationship was, even though Mercedes had said they were friends. The trailer belonged to Mercy, that much was obvious, it was like an extension of herself, not pristine, but it had a nice, imperfect feel that put you at ease. Samuel was too clean cut, that and Mercy had said that he was living there as _her_ roommate, subconsciously staking claim on the property. This made Annie wonder why a doctor – who earned more money than Annie could ever hope for – was living with this Mercy in the first place.

Finishing her meal, Annie stood up as the waitress was making her rounds of the customers. After waiting politely for the older woman to finish serving the customer next to her, Annie paid for her food and added a few dollars for the tip. Nodding goodbye to the waitress, Annie made her way to the door and began walking to her car. Passing the blonde man who had left seconds before her, Annie suddenly got the feeling that she was being watched. Speeding up without noticeably changing pace, Annie went in a straight line to her car. Locking the doors and putting her seatbelt on, Annie discretely looked around her as she started her car. The blonde man in the brown leather jacket and denim jeans was getting in a red Ford pick-up, not terribly new, probably a few years old. She thought he was looking at her but as he got into the driver's seat he pulled out his phone and began talking. Pulling out of the parking lot and back onto the road, Annie checked her rear-view mirror to see if any cars were following, but none did, so she took a deep breath and took a right turn, heading to her motel.

* * *

**At Mercy's.**

Samuel couldn't sleep. Mercy had gone out over an hour ago, and Samuel had spent most of his time sorting out his thoughts. He wanted to get to know Annie, but he had to be patient, she was jumpy; that was ok though, Samuel had a reputation for being a very patient hunter. He would call her tomorrow and schedule a DNA test. Once they got the results they would go from there. Adam wondered how he was going to tell her that he was a werewolf. If she wanted him in her life it would be hard to keep that from her, but would she no longer want to see him if she found out? Samuel loved children, that one of his was here was a miracle to him, the thought of loosing her so soon was painful. Shifting on his bed so that he was facing the ceiling, Samuel crossed his arms behind his head.

She had his eyes. That knowledge brought a bizarre amount of happiness. It proved to him that this was his child, marking her as one of his own. Smiling, Samuel got up and began getting ready for his night shift as the hospital's ER.

* * *

**In Ben's truck.**

While driving through the night-darkened streets towards the airport to pick up his Alpha, Ben's thoughts wandered back to the mysterious girl with the interesting scent in the burger shop. The reason he had noticed her in the first place was due to his instinctive reaction to the scent of a male werewolf on her clothing. That he knew the wolf to be Samuel Cornick had only spurred his curiosity, but now that he had been denied the hunt, he was determined to find out who she was. Part of his need was based on his instincts as a wolf to dominate a female, especially if she had come into contact with another male werewolf. The other part was sheer curiosity and annoyance at not knowing who this female was.

Seeing the airport up ahead made his focus shift slightly to his Alpha and he wondered what could have happened to bring him home a day early. Considering that Jesse was accompanying him, Ben assumed that it had something to do with her. It was well known that Jesse came first before everything else in Adam's life.

Parking his truck Ben made his way towards the arrivals area of the airport. Looking at the flights coming in, he found the one Adam would be on and found the designated gate. As he got there the first of the passengers began coming down to collect their baggage. He soon spotted Adam, his eyes automatically drawn to the presence of his Alpha. Jesse had huddled close to Adam, as though she was trying to bury herself into his side. The force of his Alpha's anger hit him like a physical blow, and Ben immediately dropped his gaze and lowered his head slightly. Ben wasn't that much taller than Adam, but he didn't feel comfortable having his head higher than his Alpha's.

With a nod of acknowledgement Adam passed his wolf and walked towards the baggage collection area, all the while keeping a protective arm around his daughter. Falling into step behind the duo, Ben silently volunteered to carry the two small suitcases that belonged to Adam and Jesse. Leading the way to his truck, Ben placed the suitcases securely in the bed before hopping into the driver's seat. Adam opened the door for Jesse and closed it as she settled herself into the back seat before climbing into the front passenger seat.

"Drive." Was all Adam said, and Ben obeyed without comment. The journey to Adam Hauptman's house was silent, save for the occasional huff from the back seat. The car was a mixture of upset and anger, the latter coming from the brooding man in the front seat.

Pulling up in the driveway of Adam's house, Ben got out and proceeded to unload the luggage, following Adam – again holding Jesse close to him- into the house. Setting the two suitcases down in the living room, Ben stood awkwardly as Adam sat Jesse down on the couch. Something was wrong, and it was bothering him. Turning away from his daughter, who had silently curled herself around one of the couch cushions, Adam looked towards his subordinate.

"Let me walk you out." Ben heard the silent command in the Alpha's voice and made his way to the front door. Once both men were on the steps, Adam let out a sigh.

"Jesse will be staying here for a while. Turns out congress aren't behaving as well as Bran wants." He said. "Problems have arisen in California-" California was where Jess's mom currently lived. "-but we can sort that out at the pack meeting tomorrow morning, Everyone should be here at 7:30. I want you to keep an eye out for anything unusual." Ben nodded; he was well aware of the problems concerning the new werewolf laws. He briefly considered telling Adam about the woman from the diner, but decided not to; he didn't think that pretty girls went under Adam's category of 'anything unusual'. Besides, he wanted to keep this to himself. Adam turned away and opened the door to his house. Seeing that he was dismissed, Ben strode out to his car and headed home.

* * *

**At Kyle's House.**

Mercy pulled her Rabbit to a stop outside the lavish house that belonged to her long time friend Kyle. Warren's truck was already parked outside, no surprises there. Sitting in her car with the engine cut off, Mercy gathered her thoughts. Warren would want to know about her guest, and lying was out of the question. She supposed having Warren know wouldn't do any harm, but she still felt as though she was intruding on Samuel's privacy.

Getting out of the car and walking up the path to the entrance of the house, the door opened a good four seconds before she got there, revealing Warren himself, complete with his boyfriend Kyle.

Stepping inside the house Mercy hugged both Kyle and Warren before pulling back and looking at Warren. Kyle looked between the two.

"Should I leave you two alone to talk about whatever it is that has you giving each other those looks?" he asked politely. Kyle knew that he wasn't supposed to know about certain pack business for his safety as well as theirs. Mercy looked away from Warren to answer his question.

"No, you can here this too, but I think we should talk in the living room." Nodding, Kyle led the way through the foyer and over to his expensive couch and love-seat set. After everyone sat down, Warren spoke up.

"So are you going to tell me what had you so bothered on the phone?" He asked nonchalantly, leaning back and resting his arm on the back of the couch. _Here goes nothing._ Mercy thought, taking a breath.

"Samuel had an unexpected visitor this afternoon." She said. Kyle frowned; Samuel didn't usually have visitors, in point of fact, he had never heard of someone visiting Samuel at Mercy's house before.

"Was that the girl I heard in the background?" Warren asked curiously. Mercy nodded.

"She came over to ask if he was her father." There was a pregnant pause as the two men digested this information.

"Is he?" Kyle asked.

"He believes so, but she wants a DNA test anyways." Kyle nodded, seeing the logic in the precaution. Warren watched Mercy intently.

"What do you think?" Mercy leaned back in Kyle's super-comfortable chair and frowned.

"They look a lot alike; she has his eyes, and his nose. Her hair and skin are lighter than his. She seemed sincere, a little scared too, but that's to be expected. I think she lied about how her mother died though." Warren sat up at that, concern flashing across his features.

"She could have a good reason though, what did she say happened?" Kyle asked seeing that his boyfriend was already jumping to bad conclusions.

"She said that it had been a car accident. She was telling the truth when she said that her mother had died though, so maybe it's just too painful to talk about." Warren leaned forward, elbows on his knees.

"Well, whatever happens, this is bound to be interesting." He said finally, deciding that the why's and how's of the woman's death were not overly important.

"How old is she?" Kyle asked curiously. Remembering the girl's birthday she answered,

"She's 19. Her name is Anastasia Conway, but she prefers Annie."

"You're right Warren, this _should_ be interesting." He said with a smile. Mercy snorted, from what little she had seen of the girl, she had to agree. No one who can hold Samuel's gaze for longer than three seconds is going to take well to being ordered around by a dominant werewolf, especially a teenager.

"Didn't we come here to have a movie night?" Warren asked, changing the subject to something that didn't require so much hard thinking. Relaxing, Mercy allowed herself to be distracted by Kyle as he bounced gracefully across the living room to the large screen television.

A few hours into a zombie movie involving a heroine in a very little red dress carrying a very big gun around, the Baby Elephant Walk could be heard coming from the back pocket of Mercy's jeans. Taking it out – she never really knew why she put it there anyways since they always broke – Mercy looked at the caller ID.

"It's Adam." She announced with a frown, causing Warren to stop smiling goofily at the tv screen and focus his attention on Mercy. Answering the phone, Mercy was greeted by the very nonchalant tones of Adam, proving that something was indeed up.

"I'm calling a pack meeting for tomorrow morning," he said. "I need you and Samuel there. There have been some developments in congress about the proposed werewolf laws, and they need to be discussed with the pack."

"I thought Bran had that under control." Warren said, his werewolf hearing allowing for a quazi conference-call.

"Apparently the John Lauren Society has been gaining some formidable allies, making our position somewhat… exposed. Be at my house at 7:30. There's a lot to discuss and little time available."

"Is there anything else?" Mercy asked, noticing something in his voice was off.

After a short pause, Adam replied.

"Jesse is with me, I think it will be safer to have her close, where I can watch her. I will explain everything tomorrow morning." After saying goodbye Mercy hung up, no longer interested in the movie, and knowing that she needed to talk to Samuel tonight after he got home, mercy ate the last of her cookies and called it a night. Fare welling Kyle and Warren – who was staying the night at Kyle's – Mercy got into her trusty Rabbit and headed home.

* * *

**At Mercy's**

It was closer to early morning than late at night by the time Samuel arrived back at the trailer, smelling of disinfectant and blood. He looked tired, but his emotions were in check and he was looking less haggard than usual, so Mercy supposed that this night hadn't been that bad – as far as emergency rooms go anyways. Samuel changed direction from his room towards the kitchen when he stepped in the door. Mercy was up, sitting there with a cup of cocoa. He could smell the jalapeño peppers – she had gotten out the hard stuff.

"What's keeping you up?" He asked, leaning against the counter across from her.

"Adam is back, apparently the JLS is causing problems, and he thinks they could be after Jesse." She looked worried, and almost as tired as himself.

"Why would he think they were looking to harm Jesse?" he asked, using the left over hot water to make his own hot chocolate, opting for the nice kind with the marshmallows, not the bitter stuff she used. Mercy shrugged into her cup.

"he wouldn't say over the phone, but she's here so he can keep an eye on her, and he's calling a meeting tomorrow morning at 7:30, he wants you to be there too." Nodding thoughtfully Samuel finished his cocoa in silence. After washing his cup – and Mercy's – they trudged off to their respective rooms to get some shut-eye before the meeting.

The next morning, Samuel and mercy trudged across the field between the two houses, Mercy affectionately patting her parts car as she passed it. Looking over, there were several cars parked along Adam's driveway; among them were Warren's and Ben's trucks, Honey's white sedan and Darryl's Mercedes. It looked as if the entire pack had been called in. the knot that had formed in Mercy's stomach since Adam's unsettling phone call tightened, this did not bode well. Mercy and Samuel let themselves into the house via the kitchen door, not bothering to knock – Mercy was, after all, Adam's mate. Making their way into the living room mercy was once again hit by the amount of space the bodies of the wolves took up. There must have been around 25 people in Adam's expansive living room, but at first glance it looked like 50. at the head of the congregation was the alpha, all eyes were on him, as if his mere presence commanded their attention. Sliding through the group, Mercy gave a quick nod to those she knew – receiving a nod from Mary Jo and Ben – until stopping beside Adam, finding that he was also the focus of her attention, though that was probably for slightly different reasons than the others. He was her mate, and she could feel the strength of their bond like a physical force that held them together. Samuel also came to the front of the room, but stepped respectfully to the side, giving the alpha his space.

* * *

Ben nodded to Mercy as she slid past him with Samuel in tow. The sight of the male werewolf reminded him of the unknown girl he had come across the previous day. he was very tempted to ask Mercy about her, but a large part of him rebelled savagely against the idea, she was his prey, _his_ and he wasn't about to let another in on the hunt, no matter how much respect he had for them, and he did respect her, he decided, she wasn't like most females. He remembered what had happened with Tim over a year ago, and since then his view of her had changed, his view of the world had changed.

"_Being a werewolf gives you the time to get over your childhood, or it gives you time to destroy yourself with it. I'd rather you be one of the survivors…"_ His alpha's voice echoed in his head. He would survive, he was good at that. Hearing Adam clear his throat, he shifted his eyes from the two newcomers to his leader and listened.

* * *

"As you all are aware, Bran has been setting up several meetings and conferences in order to try and eliminate the threat of new laws being passed in Congress concerning the rights and privileges of werewolves. Recently however the John Lauren Society has teamed up with the American Anti-fae Association." Some of the werewolves shifted on their feet, and Mercy heard several growls. The American anti-fae Association had sprouted up not one year after the first fae had come out of hiding, and had quickly gained power and support, becoming one of the most powerful and influential lobbying groups in the United States. Many of the JLS members were supporters of the AAA, but if they had begun to work together officially, then they must be planning something big.

"The joint organization is now pushing for a nation wide register of every werewolf in America, and wants our _species_ to be printed on our driver's licenses and passports." Adam spat the word species like it was the dirtiest word in the English language. There was currently a push to declare lycanthropes as a separate genus, placing them under the fauna category. It was being proposed as an extension of the endangered species act, with promoters saying that it was "for the werewolves' own good". They hadn't gotten very far, with Bran holding so much sway in Congress and several werewolves – Adam included – acting as spokespersons for the werewolves.

"Do we know who they have in their pocket?" Darryl asked, his voice a step down from a growl.

"Senator Stapleton from California, Senator Reynolds from Mississippi and the Governor of Texas for sure, they are working on some others and the secretary of Defense looks like he's been giving them his ear." Samuel frowned. This was not good, especially if they managed to win over the Secretary of Defense. If he were to decide that werewolves were a danger to America… Focusing back on Adam, Samuel listened as Adam outlined the mission of the joint venture with a sense of deja vous. This, he thought, must be what it felt like to be Jewish in the 1920's and 30's. While the laws seemed harmless from the outside, look deeper and you found a whole slew of problems – any werewolf who traveled, went to a bar, got a speeding ticket or went to a job interview would be marked for what they were. They would be disadvantaged and persecuted.

The most disturbing news was not, however, from Washington, D.C.

"The Governor of California has the support of a large group of anti-fae campaigners and is talking about making lycanthropy illegal in the state.' Adam paused to let the implications of this set in. the implications of werewolves being forced to relocate were endless. If California was successful, the laws would not stop there Samuel needed to call his da and see what he thought. As soon as the meeting ended he left Adam's and went back home. If he hadn't been so wrapped up in his thoughts he might have noticed the slightly curious look on a certain werewolf's face as he passed.

Taking out his phone once he was alone – Mercy had stayed at Adam's – he dialed the familiar number and waited for his father to pick up.

"Hello" Bran's voice was soft and gentle as always, though Samuel had learned long ago not to trust the voice to tell him anything about what Bran was truly feeling.

"I just heard the news from Adam, is there anything else I should know?" the line was silent for a moment before Bran spoke.

"Not really, I have a couple people looking into things for me but they haven't reported anything back that will do us any good. The JLS is sly, more so than the Feds know, and dangerous. Whatever they're planning it's being kept under wraps." Samuel sighed, the JLS had been causing trouble for the past 20 years, and not a single arrest or enquiry had been made.

"There's something else on your mind." It was a statement not a question. Bran claimed that his psychic abilities were only one way, but it was times like these that made Samuel wonder.

"I have some interesting news." When Bran kept silent Samuel continued. "I never told you about what happened in Texas. I had a relationship with a woman there, but it didn't work out. She had gotten pregnant, and left me to have an abortion." It was easier to talk about it now that the worst part of the ordeal was negated by Annie's existence. "It turns out that she never went through with the operation. I have a daughter da." Samuel's confession left Bran speechless for a whole of a minute.

"You could have told me earlier. How did you find out about her?" Bran's voice was no longer deceptively calm, rather curiosity and concern laced through the undertones. Letting the first comment slide, Samuel answered his father's question.

"She came to meet me yesterday. Her name is Anastasia Conway, she's nineteen. You should see her da, she's wonderful." Samuel proceeded to recount the visit to his father, who listened patiently, feeling something in him relax as he heard his eldest boy speak; his son had not been himself since Texas, and perhaps now he was being given the chance to heal.

* * *

**At Adam's**

As the wolves dispersed Mercy stood by the kitchen, waiting until the only people left were Adam and herself. Walking up to her mate, she wrapped her arms around his solid form, sticking her nose into his neck and breathing him in. she felt the tension in his form bleed away from him as Adam returned the gesture, encircling her in his strong arms.

"What is it?" she asked knowingly. Adam sighed, nuzzling her hair with his nose behind her ear.

"It wasn't safe for Jesse to live in California anymore. There was an anonymous threatening letter delivered to her house, I've got people working on who it was from." Mercy knew as sure as the sky was blue that whoever had sent it was not going to end up on top. Not that she really cared about their health. The possibility of werewolves being outlawed anywhere though was a scary thought.

"If a state declares that no werewolves are aloud to live there, then they would have to move, and that means encroaching on another pack's territory." She thought aloud. Crap. Adam nodded into her hair.

"Mhmm. And that means that it will be harder for alphas to keep their positions, resulting in a lot more dominance fights." He finished. Double crap. Bunches of werewolves fighting over shrinking territory was the last thing they needed, what with the current pressure from the government and the media.

"Where is Jesse?" Mercy asked, noticing the girl's absence.

"Upstairs. I said I'd tell her when the meeting was over." Pulling back from Adam's embrace, Mercy was reminded of the latest teenager in her life. Normally she would not tell people Samuel's business, but this was Adam, and besides, she had already told Warren.

"There's been an interesting development while you were away." Adam frowned at that and Mercy wondered if all werewolves liked to jump to bad conclusions. "It's nothing to be alarmed about, I just thought that you should know that Samuel's long lost daughter turned up on my doorstep yesterday." Adam's expression went from concern to shock faster than Warren's had, and Mercy found herself suppressing a smile – it was a rare thing to shock a werewolf, they were always ready for whatever you threw at them, that it was Adam was like icing on the cake.

"Samuel has a daughter?" he asked, as though making sure he had heard her correctly.

"Yup, a nineteen your old to boot, Samuel was as shocked as you look, apparently the mother had run off to get rid of the baby, and neglected to tell him when she changed her mind." Now, Mercy was not the type to judge others lightly, but she had been there for Samuel's break down, and she had seen how much this woman's actions had torn her friend apart. She loved Samuel, and knowing he had suffered for no reason for 19 years was like a thorn in her paw. Adam moved passed Mercy and sat on the end chair of the dining room table, his hand supporting his chin as he thought.

"What is Samuel intending to do about it?" Adam was raised to be a true gentleman, and as such had strict rules regarding honor, commitment and responsibility. That wasn't to say that he thought Samuel would try and shirk his duties as a father, but he was still concerned.

"They are going to get a paternity test - that was her idea. She has half his face so it's a bit of a moot point, but Sam's willing to do it if she wants one. He wants to be in her life, that much is obvious, but she's pretty head shy so he has to be careful or he'll send her running." Mercy's assessment made Adam smile his slow smile.

"Yes, the head shy ones can be quite difficult." He agreed in an innocently thoughtful voice that Mercy didn't believe for an instant.

* * *

_Hey all, tell me what you think so I know what I'm doing right (and wrong). :)_

_Quick._


	5. Paternity Tests and Deathraces

**Disclaimer - You guys should know this one by now. I own nothing you recognize... not even the font. **

**I hope I am keeping th essence of the story in tact, even though I've chopped it up a bit. Tell me what you think!**

* * *

**Chapter 4 – Paternity Tests and Deathraces**

**Annie's motel room.**

The next morning Annie woke up considerably earlier than she did the previous day. Figuring that the odd feeling she got in the parking lot was probably her nerves mixed with the after-effects of the adrenalin, she decided to go back there for breakfast. Besides, the burger had been delicious.

Showered and dressed in less than 15 minutes – she supposed that that was some kind of record as far as most girls go, but she wasn't most girls and had never liked to waste too much time getting ready – Annie was wringing out her hair with a towel when her phone rang. Digging around in the pockets of her faded jeans, Annie looked at the caller ID. Not recognizing the number, she assumed that it was Samuel. Pressing the call button she answered the phone.

"Annie speaking."

"It's me Samuel, I was wondering if you had time to get that paternity test done today." Samuel's voice was steady, the end of his sentence turned up in question.

"Um, sure. When and where?" She asked, switching her phone between hands so she could look at her watch. It was just after 9am.

"I can make an appointment for 10, if you can get to the Kennewick Hospital by then."

"I shall see you then." He sounded satisfied and when she hung up she had a sneaking suspicion that he had already made an appointment before calling her. Tucking her phone into her front pocket Annie took a cursory glance at her apparel. She had opted for a navy v neck shirt with silver angel wings printed on the back. The top was a little ostentatious – showing off her cleavage – but it had the bonus of being free of paint and ink stains. Her blue jeans were faded, and the bottom hems were tearing away from the fabric, but they would have to do. Slipping her feet into her red sneakers – she hadn't bothered to unlace them since she bought them three years ago – she was out the door.

* * *

Pulling into the parking lot of Kennewick Hospital, Annie stuffed her nerves into a tiny box before getting out of the car. She had never liked hospitals; they gave her the heebie-jeebies.

The hospital smelled strongly of chemical cleaner as she walked across the waiting room towards the desk. As she approached the nurse at the post looked up from her typing.

"I have an appointment test at 10 o'clock for Anastasia Conway." Annie watched as the woman typed something into her computer.  
"With Dr. Cornick?" the woman asked. When Annie nodded an affirmative the woman did some more typing. "You're right on time; I'll tell Dr. Cornick that you are here." Knowing a dismissal when she heard one, Annie walked over to an empty chair in the waiting room close to the exit. She hadn't been there four minutes when she heard her name being called. Turning to the source of the voice, she saw Samuel standing with a registered nurse. Walking towards the two men, Annie stuffed her hands once again in her pockets. She had eaten a good breakfast before arriving, but with her stomach tying itself into a fisherman's knot she was beginning to regret her decision.

"Annie, this is Nurse Rodgers, he'll be taking the DNA samples. Gary, this is Annie Conway." Annie gave a jerky nod in the darker man's direction, and Samuel smelled her fear and anxiety levels spike. Drawing his brows together in concern, Samuel looked intently at the girl before him. "Are you alright?" he inquired, placing a hand on her shoulder. Annie looked up from her shoes at the physical contact, stiffening defensively.

"I'm fine." She lied, looking him straight in the eye before casting her gaze back towards the nurse. "So, how about we get this thing over with ok?" she asked. Nurse Rodgers looked between her and Dr. Samuel before heading down the hallway.

"Right this way and through there." He said, pointing to one of the rooms. Samuel quickly took the lead, with Annie following silently behind. Gary directed both patients to sit on the chairs that occupied one side of the room.

* * *

Sitting down, Annie couldn't help but remember how many times she had been taken to hospitals like this, and why. Foster parents rarely ever took their assigned children to hospitals - they didn't want to pay for the medical bills - so she only ever went to one when she was deathly ill or seriously injured. _Don't be weak, never be weak._ She wrested herself away from her dark memories, willing herself to be calm. By the time nurse Rodgers had gotten the swabs for the DNA tests, she had her anger levels down to a low rather than an extreme. Annie didn't just dislike hospitals, she hated them. The painful memories of injuries sustained mixed with the fear of her foster parents and had made her uneasy every time she was in one.

Taking a deep relaxing breath, and pushing all other thoughts out of her head, Annie focused on the nurse before her. The swabs were done in a couple of minutes, with most of that time spent in silence.

* * *

"Ok, you're all done. I will give you a call when the results come through." The nurse said to Samuel after he had finished collecting the samples and placing them in a box.

"Thank you Gary, I appreciate that." He said, patting the man once on the shoulder. Looking over at Annie, he took a deep breath, she didn't smell as scared now, but she was most definitely uncomfortable. Walking her silently out of the hospital, her relief hit him like a physical blow when the exit came into view. All but running towards the exit, Annie took a deep breath of fresh air, immediately calming once she passed the threshold of the hospital. Samuel stood just behind her, seeing the tension leave her body as she walked slowly towards the parking lot. _It would appear_, he thought, _that she is afraid of hospitals_. That certainly explained her reaction, her fear had instinctively roused the predator in him, but as the wolf saw her as part of his pack, he had not wanted to attack her; rather he had wanted to rip apart anything and everything that posed a threat to his daughter.

After taking a few steps away from the hospital entrance, Annie turned around to look at Samuel. He stood a few paces away, watching her with an odd contemplative expression, his head cocked to the side reminiscent of a dog.

"So…" she said slowly, as if unsure of what to say. "What now?" Her hands were once again shoved in her pockets, and Samuel decided that it was a habit of hers.

"We could go to lunch." Samuel suggested – food had always been a good lure when trying to get closer to a wild animal.

* * *

**At lunch**

Samuel had driven to a nice but not too flashy Thai restaurant, with Annie following close behind in her car. Once seated and served, Samuel decided to ask some of the questions he wanted to now that he had had time to think.

"You don't sound like you're from Texas, where were you born?" He was sitting across from her, his arms folded casually on the table top as he waited for their food. He had noticed that she had picked the least expensive item on the menu – an appetizer rather than a meal. Stopping her visual scan of the room, Annie looked surprisedly over at him.

"I was born in Detroit, but when my mom died I went into the foster care system. Eventually I ended up in North Carolina." She said. She didn't give him specifics, no cities towns or districts, just states. Nodding, Samuel decided to ask another.

"So what do you do?" a vague question, not too intrusive, but one he was interested in having an answer for. Annie opened her mouth just as the waiter brought over their food. Slipping his arms off the table, Samuel looked up when he heard a young man's voice.

"Is there anything else I can get you?" Samuel opened his mouth when he realized that the waiter wasn't talking to him – his back was turned to Samuel, his eyes riveted on Annie. Suppressing a growl Samuel cleared this throat, only to be ignored by said waiter.

"No thanks were good." Annie said, eyes flickering between the seated man and the standing one. The waiter moved away giving Annie a flirtatious wink which – Samuel was happy to notice – Annie blatantly ignored.

"I work at a library in Ashville." Her voice warmed as she said this, and Samuel could tell that she liked her job. As they ate, they traded questions back and forth, what they liked, what they didn't. Samuel found that Anastasia was quite well read, although working in a library would probably contribute to that. When Samuel touched the subject of music Annie's eyes lit up. "I like most styles, Alternative mostly, but Celtic is good, so is classical. Rap is weird, and most hip-hop sounds all the same to me, it really depends on the mood I'm in." When asked if she played any instruments, Annie shook her head. "I like listening to music, but I'm all thumbs when it comes to playing anything." Samuel nodded his head. The conversation lulled into a comfortable silence, where the two occupants sat finishing their meal.

* * *

Annie discretely watched the man sitting across from her. By her count he should be nearly forty, but he didn't look that much older than 25. She supposed that maybe he aged well, but there was something about him that was off. He was the type of person that you wanted to trust, there was an easy humor in his deep-set eyes – she couldn't get over how similar they were to her own – and in his smile, but there was something else about him that made her cautious. He had a power lurking in him, something deep and animalistic that reminded her of a lion, or some other dangerous beast. There was also a feeling of age hidden behind the kindness of his eyes. Like he had seen the world and time pass around him, had seen and done everything and spent lifetimes becoming who he was.

Samuel had asked her several questions about herself, and though she had given the vaguest answers possible without being rude, he had not once pushed for more information. Annie had asked questions also, discovering that her father – unofficially but still – worked nights in the ER of Kennewick Hospital, and that he and Mercy had known each other since before college, and were very close friends. She still didn't know why he was living in her trailer, but it seemed that he was happy there, so she shrugged it off as a question for another day. He loved Celtic and classical music, as well as old folktales – she was surprised at this, for most people who worked in a scientific field tended to read more factual writing.

After finishing their meal, Samuel paid the bill and held the door open for Annie as they left. It was 1 o'clock in the afternoon, and Samuel was not ready to leave the company of his child just yet. Going out on a limb, Samuel turned to Annie.

"Do you want to catch a movie? The local theatre should have a few good ones." Pausing mid step, Annie cocked her head to the side, giving him an unreadable look.

"Sure," she said finally, once again moving towards her car in time with Samuel's pace – she suspected that he was going slowly for her.

Driving to the movies and parking side by side, Annie and Samuel made their way towards the entrance. Walking up to the 'now showing' sign behind the counter, Samuel turned to Annie.

"See anything you like?" he asked. Annie stood in thought for a moment.

"Deathrace is good." She replied. Nodding once, Samuel walked up to the woman behind the counter to buy the tickets. Opening his mouth his head snapped to the left and down when Annie slid in front of him.

"One ticket to Deathrace, please." She asked, not looking at Samuel. A small smile tugged at his lips, he knew exactly what she was doing, she was asserting herself before he had a chance to pay for her ticket. After buying their respective tickets and a drink each plus a bucket of popcorn to share – Annie had objected at first, but conceded that since he had the bigger paycheck and he was probably going to eat most of it anyway he may as well pay for it – they went into the theatre and took the seats in the very middle.

As it was, Annie watched the movie while Samuel watched Annie. The darkness of the theatre did nothing to deter from his advanced eyesight, and so he watched her facial expressions as she watched the action play out on the screen. Once they got out Samuel asked her what she thought about the movie, even though he already knew she loved it. Shrugging, Annie took a sip from her near-empty drink.

"Its good, not as good as the original, but its OK." With that she set off towards her car. Looking after her as she crossed the parking lot, Samuel thought about what she said. She had liked it more than she was willing to admit, but she didn't lie to him. For some reason she felt the need to hold back form him, and though this could easily be explained by how little she knows the man who might be her father, Sam thought there was more to it than just a little wariness.

* * *

**Ben**

He wasn't sure why he thought she would come back, but seeing as the burger hut was the only place he had seen her, he figured that that would be a logical place to look. Not that he had gone back to the restaurant just for her he reminded himself, this was one of his favorite places to eat, and he wanted a burger. He sat facing the door this time, and looked up whenever the little bell above the door rang. With every customer that wasn't her, Ben became more annoyed – he was a predator, and his prey had escaped him, much to the ire of his wolf. After his unsuccessful hunting expedition, Ben decided to take the long way home, and upon passing the movie theatre, he made a sharp turn into the parking lot. There in plain sight right next to Samuel Cornick's Mercedes was the very same orange car that his prey had been driving.

Parking his car and walking up to the charger, Ben peered into the window. There was a duffel bag in the back seat, and he could faintly smell the cinnamon of her scent. Getting back into his truck was hard, the urge to wait for the girl to come back to her car was strong, but the knowledge that Samuel would be accompanying her made him do the smart thing for once. The last thing he needed was to get beaten to death in a fight with the son of the Marrok. Still, his prey was close, very close. If she was going to the movies with Samuel then she definitely knew him. He growled at the thought of them being on a date. She was his prey, and he wasn't fond of sharing. Deciding to ask Mercy about the strange girl, Ben used his self control to force himself to drive the rest of the way home, all the while thinking of way to get the information he wanted from Mercy.

* * *

**Annie**

Parting ways with Samuel, Annie decided to head back to the motel. She had a lot to think about on the drive there. Samuel was nice, if a little odd, and despite the power lurking within him she did not feel threatened. The DNA tests would be in soon, and then they would know for certain. Arriving at her motel, Annie wasted no time entering her room and dropping her trusty duffel onto the floor before flopping onto the bed. Pressing the back of her head into the soft pillow, Annie let her thoughts roam. What happens after the DNA tests arrive? What if they're negative – this thought was quickly dismissed, their similar looks and mannerisms were uncanny and more than just coincidence. Would she stay here or go back to Michigan? She frowned at that, when she had set out on this journey, Annie had not thought that this would end well – she had an apartment, a job, a life back there in Ashville. What if he wanted her to move to Washington, what if she wanted to stay? Rolling on her side and curling into a loose fetal position, Annie realized just how little she had planned this out.

Annie sighed; there was no use worrying about things that haven't happened yet. Shaking off her disheartening thoughts she got up, deciding that television was a great distraction.

* * *

It was dark; so dark it was like the lack of light was a material force, pressing down on her and forcing her lungs to work double time. She was in the attic again, sitting in the middle of the room with her knees tucked under her chin, trying desperately to make herself as small as possible. Annie squeezed her eyes shut, willing the dark to leave her alone. The dark grew hands, their icy fingers tugging at her clothes and running their fingers along her flesh. It stung her skin and she whimpered. The darkness had a voice too, and it mocked her, laughing at how week she was. Her eyes snapped open, but the darkness was still there, blinding her. Franticly pushing the hands away she stumbled into a wall and searched for the doorknob. It wouldn't turn under her fingers. She slammed her body against the door but it wouldn't budge. Suddenly she slammed against the door and fell, the door became pavement under her arms, glass shards tearing into her skin. Blinking at the sudden change, she realized she was upside down inside a hunk of metal that was once a car. She was stuck, she couldn't get the seatbelt off, and turning her head she could see her mother's seat. The windshield was gone and her mother's body was half in, half out of her seat. Annie tried to speak, tried to scream. But no sound would come out, it never did. The dark laughed at her, and the over it she could hear the crunch of footsteps getting closer and closer. Annie watched, frozen, as a pair of black shoes came into view near her mother. One foot moved to nudge the woman, and Annie was able to see her mother's hand move, as a moan escaped her. Her mother was alive. A shot rang out, mingled with the dark's bone-chilling amusement. Annie clamped her hands over her ears but the sound raged in her head. Something jerked in her midsection and she was wrenched from the scene.

Annie sat bolt upright in the bed, chest heaving and eyes looking wildly around the room. She was in the motel, she remembered now. She was covered in sweat and her legs were tangled in the sheets. Peeling off the sheets and smoothing her matted hair off of her wet forehead she swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up – or tried to. Her knees gave way and she came tumbling to the floor. Using the bedside table as a crutch Annie lifted her up and walked to the bathroom with wobbly legs. Turning on the light she splashed her face with cool water. Drying herself on a towel she straightened to meet the face in the mirror. Her skin was so pale you could trace her blue tinted veins with your finger. Her eyes were wide and the dark circles made them look sunken in. Placing shaking hands on the sink to support herself Annie practiced taking deep calming breaths. It was just a dream. Annie knew that dream intimately, since it loved to visit so often. She should have been able to sleep easy knowing that it was just a dream, but she couldn't stop her own mind from tormenting her, for night was when her fears had their greatest hold over her.

Deciding that she wasn't going to get any more sleep Annie stripped off her sweat-soaked clothes and let a hot shower wash away the vestiges of her nightmare.

* * *

**At Mercy's**

Samuel had gone to work before Mercy got home from the dojo, but had left her a note with instructions on where to find dinner. Eating most of the tuna-noodle casserole and feeding the rest to Medea, Mercy sat on the couch and thought about her conversation with Adam. The subjects brought up at the pack meeting were worrying, but there was nothing she could do at the moment. Jesse had bodyguards again – Mercy was thankful that she had escaped that fate – but she couldn't do much on that front either. Her thoughts flipped to the last topic of their conversation: Annie. Mercy felt sorry for the girl; it was hard for her when she had moved in with her mother, but at least she had known her mother and what kind of person she was. Annie had no idea what Samuel was like, but she had been willing to come all this way to find out. That and the way she had managed to meet Samuel's eyes for more than a few seconds – most didn't accomplish such things – made Mercy respect her as well. She knew about the paternity test that morning, and had hoped to ask Samuel about it when she got home. Sighing she put on her thinking cap. The girl was staying in a motel while waiting for the test results. Once they were positive – and she was certain they would be – then what? Samuel would want her to stay here, but where… there wasn't really a lot of space in her trusty trailer, and she didn't feel like upgrading. She could stay at Adam's except that Adam was a werewolf, and an Alpha, and there was no way of knowing if this girl was anti fae or werewolf.

Samuel was a werewolf too. What if she was anti-werewolf? What then? Mercy shook her head; she was getting ahead of herself. Annie was 19, she had left a life somewhere back in… wherever. Who knew if she wanted to uproot herself and move al the way to the Tri-Cities. Something in Mercy's gut told her that Annie didn't leave much behind that she was willing to go back to, but other than her body posture she had no evidence to support her theory. But then again, body posture was enough.

Remembering this, Mercy thought about how Annie had acted: she was scared, that much was obvious, and she wanted to run away from Samuel and Mercy, but had faced them anyways, unwilling to place her back towards the predators. Her focus was on Samuel, as he was the reason for her visit, but she had always been aware of Mercy's presence, and had shifted to accommodate her movements around the house, making sure that she was in a position to defend herself; she had looked directly into her eyes as well as Samuel's and didn't look away for a while. She was dominant, and not the type to back down. It was like her fight or flight response was switched on the entire time, she was ready to defend herself from an attack, but ready to run if she thought it necessary.

Here was someone who had to fight to survive. Like a dominant who had been forced to the bottom of the pack, and was constantly having to defend herself from abuse. She wouldn't trust easily, and Samuel and everyone else would need to keep their distance, at least until she felt comfortable and safe around them.

Sighing tiredly from all the brainwork she had done, Mercy traipsed off to bed, deciding to bug Samuel about his day in the morning.

* * *

Tuesday morning dawned bright and cool, And Mercy came out of her bedroom to find Samuel already sitting at her table drinking coffee. He looked worn out and Mercy wondered how rough his shift was. She asked as much as she went to get her coffee.

"It was ok, had a car accident but nobody was injured too bad, there was an emergency cesarean section but both mother and baby are expected to make full recoveries."

"Girl or boy?" she asked, taking the seat opposite her roommate.

"Girl, 5 pounds, 2 ounces, a couple weeks premature but no long-term side effects so far." Mercy could hear the pride in his voice. Sipping her coffee, Mercy asked the question that had kept her up last night.

"So how did it go yesterday with Annie?" Samuel picked up his mug and then set it back down. Leaning back in his chair, he spoke.

"The paternity test was ok; I should get the results back this afternoon, I don't think Annie was comfortable though but she calmed down once we were out of the hospital." Mercy nodded, knowing Samuel he would have made the test results a priority, and working at the hospital just meant that he had easy access to the lab. "We went to lunch and a movie afterwards; she loosened up after we started talking." Mercy listened intently to Samuel's detailed accounts of things that Annie had said or done and her facial expressions in the theatre. Mercy could both see and feel the change wrought on he man before her; he was no longer an actor going through the motions of life, playing the character of a happy doctor, but was someone more like the happy lighthearted man she had grown up with. She hoped reverently that this was the miracle that she had been paying for to save her roommate.

Leaving Samuel to his musings Mercy was happy to say that she had arrived just in time to open up shop.

* * *

Samuel's phone didn't make it to the second ring before being answered – which wasn't so much because Samuel had good ears but because he had been waiting for it to ring ever since he got up.

"Samuel Cornick." He answered smoothly.

"Hello Dr. Cornick it 's Gary. I've got the results from the paternity test. Congratulations, you are officially the father of one Anastasia Conway. I've got Lucy calling her with the good news as we speak." Samuel smiled as he sank back down on the couch. He had known she was his of course, but this made it real.

"Thanks Gary, I appreciate the call." After hanging up the phone Samuel thought about this new development. The first thing he needed to do was call his Da, then Annie. He would make this work.

* * *

Annie jumped a foot in the air and almost dropped her sketchpad when something in her pocket decided to move. Reality kicked in, and Annie fumbled for a few seconds before answering the offending phone.

"Anastasia Conway?" The voice on the other line was high pitched with a slight Irish accent. The woman continued after Annie answered in the affirmative. "This is nurse Teske from Kennewick Hospital calling to give you the results of your paternity test." Annie sucked in a breath. This was it; her entire world could change within this moment. "Miss Conway, are you still there?"

"Y-yes I'm here, please continue."

"Well, the results are a positive match." The voice was considerably warmer as it said this, apparently pleased about the outcome of the paternity test. "Tell your father I said congratulations." With that the woman hung up, and Annie was left staring at her phone dumbly, sketchpad forgotten. _Well, here goes nothing._ Tucking her phone back in her pocket, Annie shrugged on her grey hoodie, making sure she had her wallet and keys before heading off to her car. She and Samuel needed to have a chat.

* * *

_So far so good, me thinks. _

_Quick._


	6. A Discovery

**Dsclaimer - I can't believe it's not butter *said in Fabio accent* Also, I don't own stuff. Really, I dont. **

* * *

**Chapter 5 – More Discoveries**

Mercy Thompson was shoulder deep in a 1978 Firebird Trans Am that had seen better days when she heard the deep tones of her trusty paper-pusher and tool rustler Gabriel – his voice had gotten considerably deeper over the past six months – greet someone. When she heard another voice that she recognized she lost her grip on a particularly annoying bolt and swore as the end of the bold broke off thanks to the rust that had accumulated over the years.

"Hey Mercy, what is that thing?" Mercy turned around in time to see Jesse sit herself on one of the work benches. Grabbing a cloth and wiping her hands, Mercy noticed that Jesse's hair had changed again – it was now a mixture of violet and cherry pink. Normally Mercy would think that such flamboyant colors would clash, but on Jesse they just looked cool.

"It's a Firebird Trans Am from the 70's"

"It looks like a funky cross between a mustang and a Cadillac." The colorful girl observed. Mercy took this time to do her own observing. Jesse looked tired but otherwise healthy.

"So I heard about the California Conspiracy." At this Jesse rolled her eyes.

"You should've see Dad when he read the letter, I thought he was going to kill that poor rookie cop." Mercy could only imagine how terrified said rookie was; Adam in a killing rage was not something one wanted to experience. "On the plus side though, Dad wants to get sole custody of me, so we could be seeing a lot more of each other." Jesse looked up with a small smile on her face, and Mercy was – not for the first time – hit by the teenager's resilience.

"You'll get to see more of Gabriel too." Mercy put in, turning back to the Trans Am with the dreaded easy-out and beginning to work out the rest of the bolt. Gabriel would be off to college at the end of this year, and Mercy would be sad to see him go – not just because of the paperwork either – she had grown to care about the boy and his sisters.

"He was going to apply to schools in California, but if I stay here he won't have to go that far away from his family." This statement made Mercy look up; she hadn't realized how serious this relationship was if he was considering his university options based on where Jesse was living.

She wondered if this was something she should tell Adam but then dismissed the idea, with an up and coming custody battle and the reality of where Jesse would be living if he lost, the last thing Adam needed was to think that Gabriel was trying to steal his little girl. Not to mention the government stuck ups who were trying to take away his rights, along with every other werewolf's.

While Mercy worked Jesse talked – with the occasional input from Gabriel – about anything and everything. When it was time to close up shop, Mercy could have told you everything there was to know about California, and she had never set foot in that state. Locking up shop and sending Gabriel and Jesse home – with strict instructions to make sure Jesse was home as soon as possible – Mercy started her Rabbit and headed home, thought of peanut butter cookies in her head.

Samuel had called his Da to tell him the good news, and had spent a further fifteen minutes getting advice on what to do next. Fortunately, Bran seemed to be far more level headed about the subject and was able to give his son some good pointers. After hanging up he had immediately called Annie, only to get the message bank. Staring at the phone, Samuel tried again. After his third failed attempt to get a-hold of her, Samuel was starting to worry. Perhaps this had been too fast, or maybe she didn't like him. For all he knew she could be halfway through Idaho.

Samuel had been wearing a path into the carpet with his feet when he heard the rumble of a V8 engine roll up to the curb outside. Smiling as he recognized the sound, he had to force himself not to open the door before his visitor knocked. After a sharp double rap of knuckles echoed off the front door, Samuel walked over and opened it to reveal an apprehensive Annie.

"Hey." She said in a calm voice. "Can I come in?" Stepping aside Samuel waved her into the house, closing the door behind her. Samuel watched her from the door as she looked around the room before turning to face him. "So nurse Teske told me to tell you she said congratulations." Samuel laughed and walked back over to the couch. Moving towards the couch he motioned for his daughter to sit. Following his direction Annie sat tentatively on the chair adjacent to him.

"So I suppose you want to talk about what happens now." Samuel said, noticing that she wasn't going to speak. Annie took a deep breath and sat up straighter.

"Well yeah that's kind of why I'm here."

"I tried to call you, but you didn't answer." Samuel hadn't really meant to say it, but he had convinced himself with every failed call that she had run. Annie frowned and dug around in her pockets before finding her phone. Pressing a few buttons she shrugged and stuffed it back into her jeans.

"The battery went dead, no big deal." Samuel nodded and sorted out his thoughts.

"Well, I would really like to get to know you better, and I have quite a bit of money saved up. I would be most grateful if you decided to come live with me from now on. I could give you a home, and I'm sure we could find a job for you here. It's up to you though." Annie looked at Samuel shockedly before her gaze turned doubtful.

"If you have all this money then why do you live in someone else's trailer?" she asked quirking an eyebrow not unlike her father would when asking such questions. Samuel smiled.

"That's complicated."

"Humor me."  
"Ok," he said leaning back. "I thought I could woo Mercy if I stayed in her house, but we've decided to be friends and she is now happily involved with her back neighbor Adam." Annie nodded, as if that made perfect sense.

"I thought there was more to it than just roommates." They sat in silence for a while, Annie resting her chin on her fist while Samuel watched her think. "So say I was to move all the way down here, how do you expect to buy a house that fast, and how would we work out the mortgage payments and the rates and bills?" Annie asked, leaning forward with her elbows on her knees. She was testing him, seeing how mush he had thought about what he was proposing, but luckily for Samuel, and thanks to his Da, he had already thought a great deal about it.

"There's plenty of real-estate around Kennewick and Finley, and as for the mortgage, that would be my responsibility as the adult, along wit the bills and rates."  
"So you, the man who refuses to move out of his friends mobile home even after his failed wooing attempt is going to buy a house and pay for everything?" she fired back her disbelief present in her voice.

"I never had a reason to move out before."

"And you do now?"

"Like I said, I want you here; I want to be in your life. But in the end it's up to you whether or not you live with me." Annie looked at him silently, assessing the man before her.

"What about you moving to Michigan instead?" she asked after a moment.

"If that's what you want we can do that too." Samuel said without hesitation. It was natural that she would want to stay in Ann Arbor, and if this was his shot at keeping her then he would do whatever it took.

"Ok." Annie paused, "so how much does property cost in Finley?" it took Samuel a moment to figure out what she had just said, but once the words penetrated his brain he smiled; she had tested him twice. First by seeing how much he had thought about her moving in, and second by seeing if he would be willing to uproot himself for her. Perhaps his daughter had inherited some of his father's personality traits. The rest of the afternoon was spent between the living room, kitchen and office where Samuel and Annie began discussing the possibilities of her relocating to the Tri-Cities.

When Mercy got home she was delighted to see that Annie was visiting Samuel. Stepping inside her house she was greeted by the sight of father and daughter sitting at the kitchen table, each with a steaming mug of cocoa and a notepad and pencil between them.

"Hey Mercy, welcome home." Samuel's voice was full of satisfaction, and Mercy wondered what had happened to put him in such high spirits.

"Hello Ms. Thompson." Annie said politely, her voice going from the confident tones she heard from outside back to the unsure voice she had heard when they had first met. Mercy put down her purse and waved her hand in a throw away gesture.

"Please call me Mercy, Ms. Thompson makes me sound like an old lady." Annie smiled and nodded.

"Mercy it is then."

"so what are you two working on?" Mercy asked, walking over to peer at the list they had between them.

"Annie and I are making a list of things we would need to do if she decided to move in with me." Samuel replied. Seeing Mercy's raised eyebrow Annie elaborated.

"Step one would be him buying his own house and actually moving out of this one." Mercy could hear a hint of sardonic humor in the girl's voice and looked up to see a smirk playing on her lips.

"You know what, I think you moving in with Samuel is a great idea." Mercy said, making Annie's smirk grow into a crooked smile and Samuel to make a wounded face. The change in Annie's look now that she wasn't scared was remarkable, her whole face lightened with her eyes, and her almost permanent unease seemed to fall away, leaving a young woman behind. If Mercy thought that Samuel and Annie had similarities before, the resemblance was undeniable now. Looking at his daughter, Samuel had to smile; it would take some work, but she would let him in... all he needed to do was be patient and wait for her to open up.

* * *

Adam Hauptman made it his business to know every person who visited his mate, as well as their cars. So when he pulled his recently fixed SUV up next to an unknown orange dodge Adam surmised that it must belong to the girl who had shown up looking for Samuel. Stepping out of the car and walking briskly to the front steps, Adam knocked twice before letting himself into the house.

"Is there a mechanic in the house?" Adam asked as he shrugged off his suit jacket and stepped into the living room. Samuel didn't bother looking up from the notebook he was writing in but the two women in the room were both looking at him.

"well I would think so, since said mechanic happens to live in this house." Mercy's dry tone was somewhat damaged by the smile she was struggling to hide. Walking up to Adam and kissing him on the cheek she took him by the hand and lead him to the kitchen/dining room where the rest of the occupants were sitting. The woman sitting next to Samuel raised an eyebrow.

"You're a mechanic?" she asked, something akin to respect in her voice.  
"Yup, that's me, 'Mercedes the VW mechanic'." At this the girl gave a small chuckle.  
"Gee, I can't imagine why anybody would feel the need to point that out." she said sarcastically. Mercy smiled in return.

"Adam, I'd like you to meet Samuel's daughter Annie Conway. Annie, this is my boyfriend Adam Hauptman." Adam held out his hand for her to shake and she stood to take it in a firm grasp before sitting back down.  
"It's a pleasure to meet you." Adam said, looking over the girl before him.

"Likewise." Annie was small, probably not much taller than 5 feet and weighing no more than 120lbs. her dark blonde hair was pulled back in a black into a ponytail and her blue eyes and dark lips contrasted nicely with her light complexion. She was pretty, and had Samuel written all over her, from her unique blue eyes to her aristocratic nose. It was then that Adam noticed that she was looking directly into his eyes.

He never really thought about meeting a human's eyes because so many of them dropped their gaze subconsciously. Annie however held his gaze, looking into his eyes as if she wasn't affected by the predator that lurked there. Her brows drew together slightly, causing a small wrinkle to form on her forehead. She was looking at Adam for all the world as though he was a puzzle piece she was trying to find a place for.

Then her eyes widened slightly in realization, and her gaze slid over to Mercy and back again. Adam waited, knowing full well that the girl before him had recognized who he was, and therefore who Mercy was and – not for the first time – cursed the cop that felt like leaking the footage of him mutilating Tim's body to the government.

Samuel and Mercy had caught on to the silent workings of Adam and Annie, and both waited for the questions that were bound to come next.

Only no questions came. Annie simply nodded to herself once and turned to Mercy and asked how she had gotten into cars. Samuel let out the breath he hadn't been aware of holding; Annie knew that Adam was a werewolf, knew also what had happened to Mercy and she had taken it in stride, with a silent agreement not to make an issue of it.

The next half an hour passed with mercy telling Annie all about how she had switched from engineering to history in university before finding herself in Zee's garage which he later sold to her. Annie listened intently, throwing in a comment or two but mostly letting Mercy do the talking. Looking at the time on her cell phone Annie stood up.

"I better head back to the hotel. It was nice meeting you Adam." Annie said, and all three occupants knew the truth of her words.

"It was my pleasure. I hope to see you around more often." After saying her goodbyes and agreeing to meet up with Samuel the following afternoon, Annie was escorted to the door by her father. After they heard her car drive away and Samuel had retaken his seat at the table Adam spoke.

"She seems very nice." He said, taking a thoughtful sip of his hot chocolate. "And she doesn't seem to have a problem with werewolves." Samuel smiled.

"I should probably thank you for that; at least we now know she isn't too afraid of us."

Sobering Adam looked unenthusiastically at the other occupants of the mobile home. "The main reason I came by was to tell you that under the new leader's imperative, the Tri-cities' Bright Future branch has become very anti-werewolf. They've started putting up posters up around naming werewolves and werewolf affiliates, listing their home and work addresses as well."

As he said this he took out and unfolded a piece of paper from his back pocket. It was a blue sheet with a heading that said "Are your children in danger? A werewolf could live next-door." Below this was a list of names and addresses, complete with a cartoon drawing of a werewolf with blood dripping out of its mouth… In Mercy's opinion it didn't look anything like a werewolf, since they didn't walk around on their hind legs and the musculature was all wrong, but still, she had to give them points for being decorative… at least everything was spelled right this time.

Tim's cousin Courtney had taken over Children for a Bright Future, and ever since they had taken a more radical approach to all things fae. Mercy supposed that this new idea was mostly her fault, since Courtney still believed Tim to be innocent, but aside from tearing down every Bright future poster in the Tri-Cities, she didn't see a way she could fix it. Mercy shook her head; she was getting annoyed at all the things she couldn't do anything about.

Samuel picked up the paper and ran his eyes along it.  
"They've got our address on here, along with my name, and Kyle and Warren. They have Darryl and Aureile too." Adam nodded.

"They have already been told about the list. I'm pretty sure they've hired a private investigator to look into things, which is why they don't have more… It would take a lot more to identify all of the pack members." Samuel nodded, it was good that Adam worked in the security business, but still… the people already on the list were going to have some trouble.

A disconcerting thought popped into Samuel's head.  
"The human's connected with us aren't safe. A werewolf can take care of themselves, but if some drunk people decide to drive a human out or rough them up, it could get ugly." Again Adam nodded.

"Yes, I've thought of that, all werewolves with human mates have been informed of the danger, and are taking measures to keep their friends and family safe." Adam hesitated before going further, not sure how the other dominant would react, "If you want, I could have Mary Jo keep an eye on Annie, just in case someone decides to try something." Samuel looked Adam directly in the eye. Not challengingly, but more contemplative. After a moment he nodded once.

"It's a good idea, if you have Mary Jo to spare for it. I can look out for her most of the time, since we will be discussing her moving here. I would appreciate it." Shortly after this Samuel announced that he had to get ready for work. Someone at the hospital was bound to have seen the posters, and he may as well face the music.

* * *

Annie berated herself all along the drive back to hotel. The moment she got a good look at Adam's face she knew who he was, or rather _what_ he was; his face had stared back at hers from a newspaper in the library for almost a year now, she had even read the article a couple times. Adam Hauptman was a well-known werewolf and spokesman, some CEO of a company that did god-knows-what for the government or something.

There had been several articles on werewolves since they announced their existence to the world – a brave move in her eyes, she would never have the guts to stand up on a stage and shout "Hey guys, I'm a monster!" – and though a few were pretty much trash, the one thing they all had in common was a warning to not look into their eyes. And what does she do, she has a staring contest with one… brilliant Annie, just brilliant.

Once she realized who Adam was, she was able to put two and two together and figure out who Mercy was. The story of the werewolf's girlfriend who killed her rapist was all over the papers and TV, from news programs to talk shows. Personally Annie thought it was sick; this was someone's life, someone had been brutally attacked in the one of the worst ways possible. It took people years to recover from sexual abuse, and to have it played out in the media was just wrong.

Annie took a calming breath. There wasn't anything she could do about other people's actions, but she could give Mercy the privacy she deserved. She wouldn't ask questions, and she didn't want to know about it anyways, what happened to Mercy is Mercy's business, end of story.

Getting back to her motel room and locking herself inside, she leaned her duffel bag against the wall. It was probably weird that she brought it everywhere, but it made her comfortable to know that if she had to, she could get I her car and drive off without having to worry about leaving anything behind.

Kicking off her shoes and collapsing on the small couch in front of the TV, Annie sighed, vaguely noting that her sketchpad was open on the floor. In the face of everything Annie had learned this day, the fact that a friend of Samuel's was a werewolf was insignificant. Samuel was her father. Her father wanted her to move in with him. He was going to buy a house for them. It seemed so unreal.

This time a week ago she was in her tiny apartment, alone with no one to rely on. Now here she was, with a father who wanted her around, someone who was offering her a place to belong in their lives. _Do I want to rely on someone?_ The thought came unbidden, but Annie paused to analyze it anyways. She was an independent person, who had spent years of her life _surviving_ rather than living. Relying on someone else was a bad idea, once they messed up, or left, or weren't there anymore, you were right back to square one.

The only person you could rely on was yourself. But still, the idea of having a place to belong, a family that wanted her, it was tempting. Annie wanted, more than anything to be wanted. Her thoughts swirling around in her head, Annie heaved herself up and got out her pajamas. She would sleep on it all, and think more in the morning.

* * *

_To be continued..._

_Ok, so no Ben in this, but never fear, he will be in the next one... and you should prepare yourself for fireworks. :P_

_Unill next time,_

_Quick._


	7. A Curious Case

**Disclaimer - I own Annie. That's about it for now. Nothing else is mine.**

* * *

**Chapter 6 – A Curious Case**

**Tuesday night**

Mercy lay awake wrapped in Adam's protective arms thinking. So far, everyone she had come across had either mentioned what had happened to her or stared at her, until Annie. Annie had _ignored_ what had happened to her completely, acting as though she had never heard of Mercy before this week. It seemed that the more Mercy saw of Annie, the more she liked the girl. She couldn't help but wonder how well Annie was going to be incorporated into this new life. Sam would make a place for her in his life, that was just the type of guy he was, but the real unknown was how Annie was going to fit herself into that space. Mercy sighed and rolled over, burying her nose in Adam's neck. There was so much going on right now, with the werewolf laws and Children for a Bright Future, and the JLS and Anti-fae Association dilemma, and Mercy was stuck waiting for something to happen. Mercy hated waiting.

Adam's arms tightened around her, pulling her so close that there was no room for air between them

"Stop all the thinking and the moving and get some sleep, there's nothing you can do about anything this late at night." Adam's voice was deep and scratchy from sleep, and it still made her turn into putty. Their mate-bond and pack-bonds had settled finally, and she had discovered that one of the neat benefits of their mate-bond was that they could pick up each other's thoughts – slightly annoying sometimes when she was trying to keep a secret from him, not that she did that a lot, but still – and thanks to their pack-bonds he also had the added benefit of knowing what she was feeling even when she was miles away.

Snuggling into her mate's warmth and closing her eyes, Mercy let her thoughts go and drifted off to a deep and dreamless sleep.

* * *

When Adam came down stairs the next morning, he found his daughter sitting at the large dining table already up and dressed… and eating ice cream.

"Jesse, isn't there a rule in this house that specifically forbids ice-cream as a breakfast food?" he asked, moving into the kitchen to grab some toast – apparently Jesse foresaw him coming down soon and was already prepared.

"Nope, that rule was against chocolate cake." His daughter called after him, a triumphant grin plastered on her face

"Isn't there a rule saying she who makes the breakfast for everyone else gets to eat whatever she wants?" came a voice from the hallway. Mercy came into the room shortly after said voice, midway through braiding her damp hair over one shoulder. . Rolling his eyes but deciding to leave it be, Adam came back into the dining room with four pieces of buttered toast, a glass of juice and some bacon and eggs. Placing the plate and glass down, Adam slid out the chair and motioned for Mercy to sit. Smiling, she obliged, and he pushed the chair back in for her once she was settled before going to get his own breakfast. While eating, the three of them talked, with Jesse exclaiming over something nice Gabriel did. Adam would never get used to the idea of his daughter dating anyone, but after what he had seen of Gabriel, he had to admit that the young man was of a good sort, and he made Jesse happy. He would have to be content with the knowledge that if he ever put a toe out of line, Adam had the strength to rip his arms off.

"Hey Adam, I want to ask you something about Annie." Mercy's voice cut through his musings and Adam looked up at her from his fork-full of eggs. Jesse looked confused and immediately asked the obvious question.

"Who's Annie?" turning to the teenager, Mercy explained everything in a short no-nonsense manner.

"Annie is Samuel's long lost daughter, she's nineteen and we only just found out she exists." Jesse's eyes widened, but before she could ask another question, Mercy turned away and focused on Adam. Putting down his fork Adam inclined his head.

"Ask away." Mercy took a deep breath and asked something which had been bothering her, but without anyone else's opinions, her observations weren't all that valid.

"Did you notice anything odd about her, or the way she acted?" Mercy's voice was concerned and curious, so Adam thought back to the night before, and tried to remember anything that stood out.

"She looked me in the eye a lot." He said, then as an afterthought, "She'd have to be pretty dominant for a human to do that." Adam was one of the most dominant werewolves on the continent, not to mention that as an alpha, he had the power of the pack to draw on. Then it clicked. Dominance was part power, part something else and the rest was sheer force of personality, only Annie didn't have half of that. She was small, quiet, fragile and scared. Looking at Mercy, Adam could tell that she knew he had finally caught on to what she had been wondering about. "That is odd." He agreed, his brow furrowing in thought. "My dominance doesn't affect her like it should, and she doesn't affect me like she would if she was more dominant than I am." Mercy nodded, while Jesse proceeded to get only more confused.

"Exactly. I noticed it when she didn't drop her gaze for Samuel. It's like she doesn't feel the need to. Most human's don't understand the significance of it, its more a subconscious thing they don't even notice, but with her… its like she has all the strength of a dominant, but none of the force behind it." Adam nodded, the wheels and cogs turning in his head. A lot of that could be contributed to her being human; since you're either a dominant or a submissive already and that just intensifies after the Change. But as a human, she should still be affected by the presence of the wolf in someone, especially when it comes to someone as dominant as Samuel or himself. Another thing he remembered was her body language.

"She was afraid." Again Mercy agreed.

"She was ready to run or fight, depending on how things turned out. I'm not sure she realized what she was doing when she met Samuel's gaze, or yours. But she never gave anyone her back, not even me. She definitely knew who the bigger predators were." Adam rubbed his face with one hand. This was an enigma, a complete contradiction of sorts, and he was getting as confused as his daughter looked. Speaking of which, said daughter had decided that there was no point in trying to get any more information that actually made sense and had instead opted for washing her dishes and going back upstairs, leaving the two adults to contemplate the mystery that was Annie Conway.

* * *

Getting up for Annie was a little difficult – it would appear that the sheets had won the battle with her legs last night – but once she was safely out of bed the morning went rather smoothly. Digging through her duffel bag Annie was able to procure some clean clothes – except for the jeans, they were the 'nice' ones she had worn to Samuel's the first time and made up half of her pants collection – and after a quick shower was once again ready for the day. Taking her phone off its charger Annie checked the time. 9:30 in the morning. Good, she didn't have to be at Samuel and Mercy's until 12 and she had some errands to run. Firstly she had to see if she could rent her room out for longer than originally planned, given that she was still figuring everything out with Sam. She wanted to live with him, she decided, but she didn't want to be a burden. She would have to find a job, and soon. She also had to quit working for the library in Ann Arbor and find a way to bring all of her thing up from N.C. Not that she had a lot of stuff – she couldn't afford to.

Heading out to the front office, Annie was once again served by Gertrude the elderly motel owner.

"I'm truly sorry dear, but the room has been rented out for those days." She said, looking up from her books regretfully. Annie sighed and rubbed her forehead.

"Are you sure you don't have any other rooms vacant then?" she asked desperately. She had done her research planning this trip, this motel was the cheapest one that didn't charge by the hour and she couldn't afford to stay anywhere else. The older woman shook her head, adjusting her thick glasses on her nose.

"I'm afraid not, there's some sort of reunion going on, the rooms have all been booked. You'll have to leave tomorrow morning." Nodding and thinking the lady for her time, Annie left the entrance and headed toward her car. Getting in and closing the door less delicately than she normally would – she loved this car after all – Annie proceeded to glare at the steering wheel.

"Crap." She said after a moment, before revving the engine and pulling out of the parking lot. Next stop was the bank, which took her a while to find after the GPS on her phone decided to send her on a wild goose chase. Resorting to the old drive-around-randomly-till-you-find-it technique Annie did a little happy dance in her head when the big yellow sign came into view. After checking her balance – a relatively small sum of $342 dollars and 25 cents – and taking out some cash to top up her otherwise empty wallet, Annie drove off in the general direction of the café she had found while looking for the bank.

The coffee was good, and Annie had some time to kill before she drove to Mercy's, so she sat down on a bench just outside the café to mull things over. She had to leave her motel tomorrow, so that would cut the house-hunting short – Annie was still having difficulties wrapping her head around the idea of a house, so she chose not to think too hard on that – since there wasn't exactly tonnes of room in Mercy's trailer. Sighing, she swirled the dark liquid in her disposable cup. She didn't want to tell Sam that she was leaving, he seemed so happy to have her around. She had no idea what this was like for him, discovering that his girlfriend had kept their child and didn't tell him. She wondered if he had wanted her when he found out that Vivian was pregnant. Was it his idea to get the abortion, or had Vivian made that initial decision on her own? It was times like these that Annie wished her mom was still around. She had been practical and honest, and she used to run her fingers through Annie's hair, smoothing it behind her ears. Whenever Annie was feeling particularly lonesome, she often caught herself brushing her hair in that very spot, mimicking the feel of her mother's hand. She wasn't really sure how long she sat there, looking into her coffee, but after a while her mind vaguely noted hat her hand was cold, as was her previously steaming cup. Rousing herself out of her morbid thoughts, Annie chucked her now cold coffee in the trash and pulled out her phone. Swearing under her breath when she read the time, she realized that if she didn't leave soon she was going to be late. Scrambling to her car, Annie started the engine and moved her charger onto the road. Soon enough Annie found herself driving through Finley. Parking her car on the side of the road, Annie noted Samuel's car in the driveway. Getting out and checking the time again, Annie was pleased to see that it was 12 o'clock –right on time. Walking up and knocking on the door Ann i.e. waited until the door opened, revealing a tired but otherwise happy Samuel.

"Hey Annie, you're right on time, come on in." Stepping passed the threshold, Annie led the way into the living room, missing her father's raised eyebrow as he followed her. Turning back to face him Annie took note of his disheveled appearance.

"Rough night?" she asked casually, her forehead wrinkling slightly as Samuel shook his head as if to clear it.

"Yeah, there was a three car pile-up last night, so we were kept pretty busy." Annie could sense that there was more to the story, but he looked so world-weary that she didn't bother asking.

"So houses huh?" Annie said by way of changing the subject. She had the satisfaction of knowing she succeeded in distracting him from any unhappy thoughts when Samuel's face brightened.

"Yes, houses indeed. I took the liberty of selecting a few I thought would be good, I was wondering if you wanted to see some today?" Samuel moved past Annie to pick up a stack of papers and hand them to her. Flipping through the small pile, Annie found pictures of houses, some of which she thought would be more aptly described as mansions. After pulling a couple of three and two bedroom advertisements out and placing them on top, Annie handed the papers back to Sam.

"Those are nice." Samuel looked over the four papers Annie had placed at the front. They were all normal sized with smaller lawns and nothing fancy. Samuel got the impression that she wouldn't feel comfortable moving into something more expensive. Nodding, he took the selected ads and placed the rest back on the table.

"Well that makes things easier. What do you say to making some appointments to go have a look? We could check them out today and tomorrow." At the mention of tomorrow Annie winced mentally. Taking a hand out of her pocket to rub her neck before shoving it back in, Annie cleared her throat.

"Actually, about that… I have to head back tomorrow. I didn't know how this was going to turn out so I only rented my room for a few days. The motel I'm staying at is all booked out for the next couple of weeks and there's not really anywhere else…" Annie trailed off, looking up at her father's face. Sam was frowning, but stopped when an idea occurred to him.

"Well, I'm sure we could get you a room somewhere else." Annie however shook her head.

"The prices are higher everywhere else, and I don't really have a lot to spare." She stopped talking at the look on Samuel's face. Realizing exactly what he was thinking her eyes widened. "You are not paying for me." Her voice was a mixture of disbelief and authority.

"It's a reasonable idea." He said, looking her in the eye. She looked right back, determination set in her features.

"I don't need charity."

"No," Samuel agreed, "you don't. But you do need to be here to help pick out the house. Personally–" Sam sifted through the discarded list of houses till he found the one he was looking for. "I like this one." Annie took the proffered piece of paper and frowned. The house was huge; it had three stories and 5 bedrooms. There was a large front garden and a stone wall surrounding it, complete with a tall metal gate. It was a cross between a large house and a small castle.

"You cannot buy that house." She said, shuddering at the price tag – there was no way she was going to live somewhere that cost more than 5 figures. The man in front of her barked out a laugh.

"Sure I can, I don't see what's wrong with it, and I think everyone needs an indoor swimming pool." Annie shot a scowl over to an amused Samuel. _Sneaky bastard._

"There is no way in hell that –" Annie's reply was cut short by someone knocking on the front door.

"Come in." Samuel called out, a grin still on his face. The door popped open to reveal a teenage girl with choppy hair that ranged from bright pink to violet in an oddly complimenting array, clad in a sunshine yellow summer dress. Annie quirked an eyebrow as the Technicolor Wonder skipped into the room.

"Hey Samuel, I saw the car on my way over here, I need Mercy's brownie recipe, I didn't know you had a visitor. You must be Annie." With the last sentence the girl had turned from hugging Samuel to face Annie, her smile bright and genuine, her hand held out to shake. "I'm Jesse, Adam's daughter." Annie took the hand and smiled slightly.

"I'm Annie, I met your dad last night." Jesse nodded.

"I know, he told me about you this morning after I heard Mercy say something about it. So what are you guys up to?" Jesse looked between Annie and Samuel, noticing the amused expression on the man's face.

"Well, I was just pointing out to Annie here that unless she stays to help pick out the house, I'm going to have to rely on my own judgment." Annie narrowed her eyes, all caution from the new presence in the room forgotten.

"And I was just explaining that Sam here can't buy a ridiculous house just because I'm not here to prevent him from making silly decisions." Jesse looked again from Annie to Samuel and back before moving into the kitchen and searching through a stack of cookbooks.

"Why can't you stay and stop him from picking out a crazy house?"

"Her motel booking is up tomorrow and she won't let me pay for her to stay in a different one." Samuel said, the smile on his face dulling the exasperated edge his voice held. Picking up a medium book with a triumphant yell, Jesse turned to look at Annie and Samuel.

"Well, in that case, you should stay with me." She said as if that was the most logical way to remedy the situation. Annie however was extremely confused.

"You want me to stay at your house?" she clarified in a deadpan voice, her eyebrow once again raised in a somewhat comical expression. Jesse nodded in affirmation.

"Yup. It would be fun; it's so boring being home without anyone near my age to hang out with. You should come over now so we can make brownies. If its ok with you that is." It took Annie a minute to realize that the question was aimed at Samuel and not herself. Her face was caught somewhere between disbelief and confusion, causing Samuel's smile to grow wide.

"I think brownies are a great idea. Though you might want to ask your father before you invite people to live with you." Jesse beamed and turned back to Annie.

"It's ok, dad likes you and we've got heaps of space, you could stay until you guys have a house. Now come on, I want to make brownies before someone eats the chocolate." The only possible explanation Annie could give for allowing this eccentric girl to grab her hand and lead her out of the house and through the back lot was that she had been temporarily stunned by said girl's blatant disregard for self preservation.

"Do you often bring strangers home with you?" Annie asked after regaining her thoughts and her arm. Jesse laughed.

"You look just like your dad when you do that." She said, pointing to Annie's eyebrow, which had taken residence above its twin. "And you're not a stranger, you are Annie, Samuel's daughter, and you know Mercy and my dad, so there." Annie shook her head, smirking at the graffiti written across a dilapidated VW they were currently passing en route to a pretty mansion that seemed to tower over the normal sized houses around it.

"Fair enough, but when I turn out to be an axe murderer set on brownie theft, you can't blame me for your death." As it turned out, Jesse was not crazy, or at least there was a method to her madness, and Annie found herself liking the unconventional girl. With only two years separating them, Annie felt more at ease in Jesse's company than she had in a while. She had avoided her peers for most of her life, finding out early that youths were unforgiving when it came to being different and adults were always expecting something from you. Though so far this trip had gone over quite well, Annie was not yet comfortable with having her entire world turned upside down, and found a childish solace in baking brownies while chatting with Jesse.

Two batches of brownies and a gazillion questions later Annie and Jesse were in the kitchen washing the dishes.

"So why didn't you go to university?" Jesse asked, drying a plate and putting back in its rightful place. Annie shrugged.

"I wasn't really thinking about it at the time, there wasn't anything in particular I wanted to do so there was no point in racking up student loans." Jesse nodded and opened her mouth to say something else when the front door opened.

"Is that brownies I smell?" Adam Hauptman's voice carried from the entrance to the kitchen, followed by the man himself, making Jesse's face light up. Annie leaned against the counter as she watched the father and daughter exchange hugs and he kissed her forehead. She had once read an article about how werewolves and fae shouldn't interbreed or start families with 'normal humans', but looking at how happy the two people in front of her were, Annie found that she couldn't disagree more. After greeting his daughter and snagging a brownie off the counter, Adam turned to greet his daughter's visitor. "Hello again Annie. I hope Jesse hasn't talked your ears off." Annie frowned and placed her hands under her hair, feeling around for said attachments.

"I've still got them."

Jesse pouted and smacked her father on the arm before taking a bite of her brownie. Feeling less comfortable now with the realization that she didn't have Adam's permission to be in his house, Annie looked down and subconsciously crossed her arms.

"Hey can Annie stay here for a few days?" Annie's head snapped up so fast she heard a small crack. She had forgotten about that ludicrous plan of Jesse's

"That's really not –" Jesse cut her off before she could three words in edgeways.

"She has to go back home tomorrow but her and Samuel haven't found a house yet, and it's not like she can stay at Mercy's. Besides, I like her and this way I can spend some time with people my own age." Adam looked between his excited daughter to his uncomfortable guest and back again.

"Sure, I don't see why not." At this Annie's jaw dropped.

"Am I the only responsible person in this place? I already said I was an axe murderer." she wondered aloud. Adam laughed as Annie ducked away from the tea towel that Jesse tossed at her head. Anything that made his daughter happy made Adam happy, and with what had happened in California and everything from over the past year or so Jesse needed a friend. Jesse never said it, but Adam knew that when he had come out so to speak, his daughter had been alienated by the majority of her classmates. Pulling his daughter close with an arm and kissing the top of hear head, Adam spoke.

"Warren is coming over in a few minutes; we've got some stuff to talk about. Kyle's coming too so you guys can hang out and watch some movies." Jesse nodded before turning to Annie.

"Warren is a friend of dad's and Kyle is his boyfriend. They're pretty cool." Annie nodded just as a truck pulled up in the driveway. The door opened without anyone knocking and soon there were two more people in the house making their way to the kitchen. One was a tall and thin man dressed in jeans and a plaid shirt, a cowboy hat was clutched in one hand and he even had the boots to complete the outfit. Not that he looked bad; on the contrary Annie thought the clothes suited him. The other man was shorter and better dressed, he had on expensive grey slacks and a matching suit jacket over a crisp salmon button up shirt and a white tie.

"Hey boss, who's this, and who made the brownies." The first man said, taking a brownie for himself and passing one to his partner, all the while casting a curious glance at Annie.

"This is Anastasia Conway, Samuel's daughter. Annie, this is my friend Warren and his partner Kyle." Annie pushed herself off the counter to shake hands with the two men before her.

"Nice to meet you both." She said, making the effort to return their smiles. Taking Warren's hand, Annie automatically met his eyes, and was once again met with power. It wasn't as strong as Adam's, and was more subtle. Like Samuel. Annie was sure that this Warren was a werewolf, and looking the predator in the eyes, Annie wondered why it took her this long to realize that she had been doing stupid things around a werewolf long before she met Adam. How many times had she looked Samuel in the eye, blatantly challenging his authority? _Stupid._ Annie berated. _Stupid human who doesn't know when to look down. I'm doing it right now. I must have a death wish._ Still meeting Warren's gaze, Annie shook his hand and didn't look away until she turned to Kyle. Kyle's eyes were warm and perfectly normal. This came as a great relief to Annie, who for reasons unknown couldn't make herself look away from someone's eyes, even if it was stupid, and especially if it meant she was letting them win. Taking his hand, Annie smiled at the human before her.

"Now I see what Mercy meant by not having to worry about the paternity test, those eyes couldn't have come from anyone else." Kyle announced, causing Annie to glance away in embarrassment. She didn't like much about herself, and preferred not to draw attention to her features.

"Uhm thanks… I think." Annie said tucking her arms back around herself protectively. Sensing her discomfort Warren and Adam quickly changed the subject.

"So boss, you wanted to talk." Warren ventured, casting a fleeting look at the blonde woman beside him. Adam nodded.

"Yes, let's go upstairs. Feel free to eat as many brownies as you want Kyle." With one last nod the two men left the kitchen and walked up the staircase. Once the two men were gone Annie looked between Jesse and Kyle, who had taken Adam up on his offer of brownies.

"So I'm guessing that we mere mortals are not privy to that conversation." Annie said, leaning back onto the counter to watch the full effects of her statement. Jesse's eyes went wide and Kyle's jaw unhinged itself. It was really quite entertaining.

"How did you know Warren was a werewolf?" Jesse demanded once she had remembered how to speak. Annie unfolded her arms and shoved her hands in her front pockets, shrugging her shoulders casually.

"I already knew who your dad was when I met him, and I could tell when I looked Warren in the eye."

"So does that mean you know about…?" Jesse paused, unsure if she should continue. Luckily Annie knew what she was trying to ask.

"Sam? Yeah. I didn't realize it at first, but now that I know what to look for," again Annie shrugged. "I really need to stop with the staring contests; it's bad for my health around here." Jesse and Kyle chuckled.

"Yeah well it's not so bad, as long as the werewolf wins." Kyle offered. Annie rolled her eyes. She was definitely going to get herself killed. Kyle, Jesse and Annie moved from the kitchen to the living room – with the brownies of course – and settled in for the only good Wednesday night movie… Teen Wolf. Between the movie and the brownies, Annie was still able to learn quite a lot about what was going on. Apparently the werewolves were in a spot of trouble with the government – that didn't really surprise Annie though, politicians were annoying like that – it was the anti-fae and werewolf groups that had her worried. Annie knew better than anyone what people were capable of when they were afraid of something. Another thing she learned was that Kyle was a successful divorce lawyer, and very quick-witted.

After the movie was over, Annie checked her phone and realized how much time had flown by.

"I have to go. My car is still at Mercy's house and I need to get back to the motel." She said, the blood rushing to her head as she struggled to an upright position and stood up – she had been laying upside-down on the couch with Jesse, her feet dangling over the back of the sofa. Annie smoothed out her faded orange t-shirt, wishing that she had brought her hoodie and shoved her phone back in her pocket.

"Don't forget you're moving in tomorrow." Jesse said, a cheeky grin spreading across her face. Annie rolled her eyes, she still hadn't gotten out of that… not that she really wanted to; it was a good idea, plus she really liked hanging out with Jesse.

"Yeah yeah, I'll see you tomorrow. Bye Kyle, tell Warren and Adam I said goodnight."

The two people's goodbyes followed her out of the living room as she made her way to the back door. Exiting the house Annie crossed her arms. Damn the sun for setting… she _hated_ the cold. Marching her way back to Mercy's trailer, Annie thought about her latest discovery. Now that she thought about it, it kind of made sense that Samuel was a werewolf… he looked 25, but was old enough at least to be her father, he spoke like he was from another era – especially when it came to music and had that predatory sense of power about him that Annie was beginning to associate with werewolves. Sucking in a breath, she contemplated how this changed things. _Did it change anything?_ Well obviously she had to talk to Sam about a few things now, but overall… Annie didn't really mind the idea of her father being a werewolf. From what she had seen Jesse and Adam were thick as thieves, and if anything, the fact that her father was less (or more) than ordinary would make the fact that she was an outcast too easier for him to accept, right? Annie shook her head. She didn't know many people who liked people like her. But still, if she could accept that werewolves were more that just evil monsters who ate children alive, certainly he could accept that she was worth something. Pushing the thoughts out of her head as she neared the trailer, Annie found Samuel sitting by the door, waiting for her. _Damn._ She thought, mentally wincing, _I can't believe I left him here for so long_. Samuel stood up as she neared the door.

"Welcome back, did you have fun?" There was nothing in his voice to suggest that he was angry with her, he was even smiling, but guilt and fear had Annie shifting nervously from foot to foot in the evening light.

"Uhm yeah, turns out I'll be staying for a few more days. Listen, I'm sorry about leaving like that, I lost track of time and –" Samuel laughed and waved his hand in a throwaway gesture.

"Don't worry about it, Jesse can be like that. I'm glad to hear you're staying. I have to go to work soon, but you should come back around mid-morning tomorrow, so we can look at some of those houses." Annie was surprised at the honest amusement in his voice, it sounded as though he truly didn't mind that she had taken off for several hours when she should have been looking at houses with him. Shaking her head to clear it, Annie smiled.

"Ok, I'll see you then, I promised Jesse I'd be over early anyways to 'move in'." After saying goodnight, Annie waltzed off to her car, aware of Samuel's presence on the porch the entire time. It was only when she had gotten half way to her motel that she remembered that she hadn't asked him if he was a werewolf. Oh well, that conversation could wait till tomorrow.

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_Here is where i say something cute that gets you guys to review, because yo love me. :P_

_Quick._


	8. Werewolf Confessionals

**Chapter 7 – Werewolf Confessions**

Ben was late for work. Cursing under his breath as he straightened his tie – Ben only wore one because of stupid dress regulations at work – he stepped on the gas pedal, shooting his truck through the morning traffic. For the past two days Ben had been using his exceptional computer skills to track down every bit of electronic information available on the John Lawrence Society and Bright Future as well as their members and known affiliates.

What he had found was not good, and after work he would have to make a detailed report and give it to Adam. His intensive investigation had deterred him from pursuing his quarry for the moment, though he had still found himself trying to catch her scent whenever he was out, going so far as to wander around the art store near his house until he found the source of the odd smell that had been attached to her clothes.

The scent had been oil paints, which invariably caused Ben even more torment, for while he had uncovered something about his mystery girl, the information was entirely useless and did not lead him any further in the chase. It was maddening. Determined to track down Mercy in regards to this matter once he had presented his findings to Adam, Ben forced his thoughts back to the road and settled in for another day at work.

* * *

Samuel had not had a good night last night. It had started to go sour when his daughter came back from Adam's house in the evening. After all the progress they had made she had gone right back to being the scared wild animal that he had first met, ready to run at the smallest sign of aggression. She had seemed genuinely _surprised_ when she realized that he wasn't angry at her for leaving him to hang out with Jesse, caught off guard even by his kindness.

Samuel knew what those types of mood swings and her body posture indicated, and the idea of Annie being hurt often enough for her to _expect_ it from people for no reason made his blood boil. His anger had caused him to scare a couple of his co-workers, but he had been too preoccupied to worry about social niceties.

The wolf inside him demanded retribution and he was unable to extract it because he didn't have anyone to blame, Samuel had no idea who Annie had been around before she came to him. But he could find out.

He knew his brother Charles could find out anything and everything there was to know about someone if you gave him the right information, and Samuel was sure he had enough information to start him off. Eating his breakfast, Samuel glanced at the watch on his wrist. It was 8:30am.

Charles would not be happy about the time, but he had been meaning to talk to his brother anyways, so the call was long overdue. Picking up his phone and dialing the number without even thinking about the number, Samuel waited for his brother to pick up.

"Yes Samuel?" Charles' voice was scratchy with sleep, making Samuel smile – his brother had been sleeping in more ever since his mate had moved in.  
"Hey Charles. How are you old man?" Sam could almost hear his little brother's eye-roll.

"Not too bad, yourself?"  
"I'm alright. I assume Da told you about my daughter." On the other end, Charles sat up and took a breath.  
"Yes he did, congratulations." Samuel could hear the sincerity in his brother's voice; Da was not the only one to notice his eldest son's emotional crisis.

"Yes, well I think something might have happened to her, I was hoping you would be able to look into it for me?" Samuel's voice was light and calm, but he could never fool his brother, and Charles heard the anger clear as day. Suddenly all business, Charles got up.

"Of course can." Samuel could hear him shuffling around until he sat back down. After giving Charles Annie's name, birth state and the name of the town she currently lived in, Charles spoke. "I will get back to you as soon as I have something." Never one for unnecessary chatter, Charles was. Perhaps that's one of the reasons he and Samuel got on so well, despite the blood ties.

"Thank you Charles. Tell Da and your mate I said hi."  
"Will do. Bye Samuel." With that Samuel hung up, feeling both good and bad about what he had just done. In order to protect his daughter, Samuel felt he needed to know her history, but he was sure that Annie would see it as a betrayal.

* * *

Annie was up and dressed in newly washed clothes – thanks to the motel's laundry room – and on Adam's doorstep by 9am sharp. Which was perfect, since that's when Jesse had demanded Annie be there. Years of living with controlling adults had ingrained in Annie the habit of always arriving on time. After packing up her things and checking out of the motel, Annie had even had time to go get coffee; it was amazing how well alarm clocks worked, even if she hardly ever remembered to use them. Knocking twice on the door, she barely had time to put her hand back down before it swung open, revealing an excited Jesse.

"Hey come on in, we've got pancakes!" Before she knew it Annie was once again being dragged behind Jesse as she skipped towards the kitchen, and Annie decided that this must be how those people felt when their overly-large puppy decided to chase a squirrel on the morning walk. Smiling on the inside as she was led into the house, Annie waited until they had reached the living room before attempting to stop the force that was Jesse Hauptman.

"Hey back, and before you force a short stack down my throat, can you tell me where to put this?" she asked, adjusting her hold on the duffle strap. Turning back around Jesse cocked her head to the side as though seeing Annie's large green bag for the first time – which was probably a fair assumption – before widening her eyes in surprise.

"Oh, there's a spare room for you just down the hall to the left, right past the staircase, it's just opposite my room. Is that all you have?" As she was speaking Jesse had changed course, directing Annie – who was still held by the wrist – to the room. Annie nodded before realizing that Jesse didn't have eyes in the back of her head.

"Yep, this is it. I didn't know how long I'd be staying so I packed light." Stopping in front of a room, Jesse opened the door and dragged Annie into the room.

"Ta-da!, well this is it, it's pretty neat even if it is kind of small. There are bigger rooms downstairs but those are really reserved for pack members." Annie raised an eyebrow at this, wondering first why anyone in their right mind would call this room small, and then how many rooms the house contained, before brushing off both thoughts; Jesse was not in her right mind, and Adam was an alpha, so he needed the space.

Dropping her bag by the door Annie took note of the small bookshelf and desk by the double bed and the wardrobe near the door. Turning back to Jesse Annie shoved her hands in her back pockets before speaking.

"So how about those pancakes?" Smiling, Jesse looped her arm in Annie's and together they waltzed back downstairs. Annie was going to like staying with the Hauptman's she decided, even if it was only temporary.

After having breakfast and getting acquainted with every room in the house, Annie checked her phone – noting that she should probably buy a watch one of these days – and decided that Samuel should be up soon. They had agreed to look at some of the more reasonable houses, and Annie didn't feel like making him wait like last night. Saying goodbye to Jesse and promising to came back with a report on all the houses, Annie got into her car – it felt a little odd leaving the trusty duffle behind – and drove over to Samuel's house.

Samuel smiled when he heard the now familiar rumble of the old V8 engine of Annie's dodge charger pulling up in front of his home. Gathering up the remnants of his breakfast dishes and placing them in the sink, he had just enough time to run some warm water over them before he heard the anticipated knocking on the door.

"Come on in." he called over his shoulder, leaving the dishes to soak and walking into the living room. Opening the door Annie slid inside, wearing the same red shirt and grey hoodie he had first seen her in and her lighter pair of jeans. Samuel made a mental note to ask Jesse or Mercy to take her shopping - she would need some more clothes if she was going to be staying, at least until her belongings were brought up from N.C.

"Hey. I hope this is a good time, I had to stop off at Adam's first, Jesse's orders." There was a small smile at the corner of her mouth, but Samuel could still see the uneasiness in her stance and the apprehensiveness hidden in her eyes. Putting on a warm smile and making himself as unthreatening as possible, Samuel shook his head.

"Nope, now's great. Besides, I wouldn't want to be dealing with Jesse if you disobeyed her orders." Annie and Samuel shared a smirk – which looked uncannily similar – at the thought of a vexed Jesse and Samuel was happy to see some of the tension leave his daughter's face. Picking up some papers Samuel walked over till he was standing beside Annie. "I've made some appointments to see the houses you picked, the first one is in about half an hour, so we should go soon." Annie nodded, unconsciously shifting her body to keep him at her front.

"Ok, I'm running low on fuel, so is it ok if we take your car?" she asked, looking up into Samuel's eyes without thinking about it. She was once again confronted with the wolf, which only reminded her that she had yet to talk to her father about that, but instead of feeling threatened or scared, she simply felt his power, a large and non-threatening entity, peering out at her as though she was something remarkable. Samuel smiled and dipped his head.

"Certainly, just let me get my wallet." Finally looking away Annie shoved her hands in her pockets and waited as Samuel went to his room and retrieved his wallet and keys.

The car was quiet, and not just because Annie was used to a louder engine, neither occupant of the small Mercedes knew what to say, so Samuel decided not to say anything at all. Annie on the other hand, knew what she wanted to ask about, but wasn't sure how to go about it. Finally deciding to throw caution to the wind – they were stopped at a red light, reducing the chances of Samuel crashing the car immensely – Annie cleared her throat and shifted in the passenger seat to get a better look at the driver.

"So I met Warren and Kyle last night." She began. Samuel nodded – he had seen them pull up from the trailer – and spoke.  
"Warren's a good guy, and Kyle is one wicked divorce lawyer." Taking a deep breath, Annie continued.

"Yeah, well um, I know about Adam being a werewolf. Warren's part of his pack right?" she asked, careful to keep her voice calm, like they were talking about the weather instead of who was who in a werewolf pack. Nothing changed in Samuel's outward appearance, but Annie could still sense the wary stillness in him.

"Yes, he is one of Adam's wolves." Samuel pressed down on the gas pedal as the light changed to green, keeping his eyes firmly on the road.

Out of his peripheral vision he could see Annie sitting with her upper body twisted towards him, her arms crossed over her chest. For all her subtlety – which really wasn't a lot – he knew what she was getting at; she knew. She knew that Adam and Warren were werewolves, she knew that he was a werewolf, and now he knew that she knew. Taking a breath, Samuel decided to acknowledge her unasked query; he could tell that Annie was uncertain about how he would react, and making her ask the question he knew she was trying to get at would be cowardly, and Samuel was not a coward.

"If you are trying to ask me if I am also a werewolf, then the answer is yes." Samuel took his eyes off the road to chance a glance at his daughter's reaction; Annie was caught somewhere between surprise and another emotion he couldn't quite make out before it quickly shifted to a thoughtful mask.

"I see." She said after a moment. "So you're one of Adam's wolves too?" she asked, her voice only slightly away from composed. Keeping his eyes on the road this time, and hoping that he hadn't just lost his daughter, Samuel answered.

"No, I am a lone wolf, so I'm not part of a pack." Annie was quiet for a moment, and Samuel sneaked another glance, the mask was gone, replaced by a puzzled frown.  
"But I thought werewolves liked to be in packs." She said, sounding genuinely confused. Samuel nodded.  
"They do, but sometimes one of us needs to be away from everything for a while." At this Annie looked up.

"So, does that mean that our house won't be turned into grand central station like the Hauptman's whenever something important happens?" With that one sentence, all the tension that had built up in Samuel's body dissipated; she knew and she still wanted to live with him. Smiling, Samuel shook his head.

"Nope, no trains through our house." And with that they turned down a quiet suburban street and parked in front of a nice house with a for sale sign staked into the lawn.

For the third day in a row, Ben found his work being interrupted by thoughts of the girl from the diner randomly wondering through his head. By the time his lunch break came around, he had read the same line of code four times and snapped at two of his co-workers – not that that really mattered, he was one of the most sought after computer programmers in the state, there was no way he would get fired for having a bad day.

Making his way to his usual spot at his office's lunch room, Ben set down his coffee and burger – minus the pickles of course – before sitting down and taking out his lap top, he may as well get those files organized for Adam so that he wouldn't have to do them later.

The rest of the afternoon passed by in a blur, with Ben going through his work on auto-pilot, and as the hours ticked by, Ben found it harder to concentrate on much – the cinnamon rolls the person next to him had eaten for lunch did nothing to keep his mind off of the blonde woman from the diner – except for finding the next clue in his wild goose chase.

* * *

_Ben is back! *does happy dance*_

_cya soon!_

_Quick._


	9. Meeting The Hunter

**Disclaimer: I own NOTHING you recognize.**

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**Chapter 8 – Meeting The Hunter**

Taking the stairs two at a time while tugging his tie loose – the elevators made his ears hurt and he was only on the fifth floor – Ben was relieved to leave work at the end of the day. He had managed to organize all his files during lunch, so he could go straight to Adam's to deliver his findings before heading home. The day had dragged on, leaving him annoyed and tired, all he wanted was to go home and relax. Getting into his truck he sped off out of the parking lot with thoughts of his assignment in his head.

About 5 minutes from Adam's house, Ben noticed Warren's truck behind him; apparently he wasn't the only one being summoned, though as his third, Warren was expected to be there when vital information came in. Pulling up in front of his alpha's expansive house, Ben collected his things and got out of the car as Warren pulled in beside him. Turning to face Warren as the other wolf got out of his own truck, Ben quirked an eyebrow at the DVD case in Warren's hand.

"I didn't realize it was movie night." He said by way of greeting. Warren gave a slight smile and shrug, over the past year or so the two had become easy friends despite the personality and pack rank differences. Ben attributed their comradeship to all the shit they went through together, that and once he got to know him, Warren was actually pretty cool, even if he was gay.

"It's more of a 'welcome to the family' present." Ben frowned at this, who the hell were they welcoming? Then he brushed it off, Ben didn't really care about family, or welcoming anyone, besides, Warren was already heading towards the front door. Falling into step behind him, Ben followed Warren as he entered the house – not bothering to knock of course, Adam already knew they were there – and immediately noticed the one thing that had evaded him for the past three days.

"Cinnamon." He whispered under his breath. Taking in a deep breath to catch it again, Ben also caught the tang of meat, tomatoes and several herbs.

"Hey Warren, come on in we're making dinner." Jesse's voice came from the kitchen, causing Ben to shake his head, cooking explained the cinnamon; he really needed to stop thinking about his illusive prey.

"Annie in there too?" The name didn't register with anyone he knew, though a part of Ben's brain vaguely decided that 'Annie' must be the person Warren was welcoming for whatever reason.

"Yeah I'm here." It was the third voice that made Ben look quickly towards the kitchen; it was full of warmth, and just deep enough to be set apart from most female voices. Following Warren, who had already made his way into the kitchen where Jesse could be seen, Ben sped around the corner until he stopped dead in his tracks at the sight before him.

There she was, the girl from the diner. She had her hair up in a sloppy bun which left several strands curling around her face, and she was wearing almost the very same outfit as when he first was her. It was as though she had jumped straight from his thoughts and into reality… in Adam's kitchen?

Warren stepped up to his prey and she smiled at him.  
"Hey Warren, I hope you like Italian." She gestured to the pot she was stirring on the stove. In return Warren dipped his head.

"Sure do. Kyle sent this over; apparently you told him how much you like Firefly." Ben watched as Annie took the proffered DVD and smiled even wider. Since when did Warren and his boy toy know his prey? _Annie_, his mind supplied, _his _Annie.

"Wow, I haven't seen an episode in ages, tell Kyle I said thanks."

"Will do." Finally, after he had been mimicking a statue for the entire conversation, Ben exploded.

"What in the bloody hell are _you _doing here?" every head snapped in Ben's direction, as though noticing him for the first time.

Jesse recovered from his outburst first.  
"She lives here." She said, her face going from confused to what had to be the best impression of a teenage 'duh' face anyone had ever seen. Ben glanced back at the girl to shoot her a brief annoyed look before turning back to the woman in question.

The girl had a slightly shocked expression on her face, her lips slightly parted and her eyes wide. Looking into her eyes, he met her gaze and held it, willing her to look at him. All thoughts of sleep or Adam or Bright Future forgotten, Ben stood for an indefinite amount of time staring into those eyes; it was like he was caught by something there, and the wolf in him stirred awakened by the closeness of his quarry and the urge to dominate her, he refused to look away, she must submit to him.

Annie had turned her head away from Warren to look for the source of the voice, mentally berating herself for not noticing the other occupant in the room – she was getting sloppy. What she found was a man, shorter than Warren, but at least a head taller than herself. He wasn't as thin as Warren either, but he didn't have the breadth that made Adam seem so large.

He looked to be in his twenties, with squared shoulders that filled out his button up shirt quite nicely, the fabric just tight enough to hint at a well muscled body but didn't cling like a second skin. His features were angular, with a strong jaw line, higher cheekbones and a very straight nose. His blonde hair was a few shades lighter than her own, though his skin was probably a couple shades darker. Jesse's voice barely registered through her analysis of the unknown man in front of her, and when she got to his eyes everything else seemed further away.

His eyes were hazel, with just enough green to tip them away from being brown. He was looking at her with such intensity that she was unable to look away, like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car. She stood frozen, staring back into the eyes of a hunter.

He was a werewolf, she could feel it, but it was something else in his eyes that gave her goose bumps, like she had been caught, and the moment she moved he would strike. For the first time since she had been thrust into the world of werewolves, Annie wanted to run. But she couldn't, something deep within her kept her there, it whispered stay. Or maybe it was him that was keeping her there, she thought, with those eyes.

Somewhere to her left, Warren cleared his throat. Tearing her eyes away from the intense gaze of her hunter, Annie looked towards Warren, who was looking between the two with an odd expression on his face.

"Annie, this idiot here is Ben. Ben, this is Samuel's daughter Annie, she's going to be staying here for a while till her an' Samuel buy a house."

The satisfied smirk that had appeared when Annie looked away first was wiped off his face with that last sentence. His prey was not, as he had first suspected, the newest love interest of Samuel Cornick – for which he was quite thankful. However, the knowledge that she was instead his daughter was very bad. If Samuel knew what Ben wanted with Annie, he would be ripped to very tiny pieces before he could say holy shit. What _did _he want from Annie? He wasn't quite sure, but he wanted something, he wanted her scent, he wanted to look into those eyes, he wanted her to concede to him… he wanted to win.

Annie looked back from Warren to Ben, catching an odd look that might have been dismay before a smirk transformed his face, no longer was he the hunter intent on his prey, he was now a man, still a predator, but he no longer looked like he was going to eat her – for which she was quite grateful. Raising an eyebrow Ben's smirk seemed to turn condescending.

"Since when did he have kids?" Annie picked up the inflection in his voice that made every word sound crisper, and noticed something she should have realized when he first spoke, Ben was English.

"Since nineteen years ago." Adam's voice caused Annie to jump, annoyed that no one else seemed surprised by the man's sudden presence. She really needed to be more alert around here. Warren and Ben both turned towards Adam, who was leaning against the corner of the wall at the entrance to the kitchen. "Jesse, you should probably stir the sauce there," He said, indicating to the steaming pot on the stove that had been previously looked after by Annie.

To Warren and Ben he said. "Lets go upstairs." With that he turned around, leading the two men back out of the kitchen.

Annie watched them go, thoroughly , in comes a random guy who looks at her like she's a meal, then he acts weird when they get introduced – not that it wasn't weird when he looked like he was going to eat her – then, in comes Adam like a ninja and they all go upstairs for some mysterious top secret meeting.

Annie couldn't say why exactly, but she had gotten the distinct impression that Adam had ordered warren and Ben upstairs, though she had no idea why he would feel the need to. Shaking her head and concentrating on Jesse, who had started talking again; Annie pushed all thoughts of ninjas, secret meetings and green eyes out of her head.

When Ben and Warren walked into Adam's office, they found Daryl was already there. He must have parked his car around the side of the house, thus explaining why Ben hadn't noticed it. Closing the door behind him, Adam turned to look at his subordinates.

"Now that we're all here, I would like to hear your reports." Suddenly all business, Ben straightened and pulled his mind away from his prey – or at least attempted to. He fought control of his thoughts when they strayed back to Annie, and her deep, grey-blue eyes. There was something in those eyes that pulled him in, their distinctive dark ring making them striking to the point of hypnotic. _Fuck._ Narrowing his gaze and forcing his thoughts back to the present he caught the end of what Darryl was saying.

"… No threats have been spotted around the residences of pack members, but there was a Bright Future member caught tailing Aiden near his work." The second-in-command's voice held a growl which demonstrated exactly how he felt about the situation – he was pissed.

"Who was he?" Adam asked, keeping his voice far calmer than his second.

"We're not sure, he was male, and I his early twenties; Caucasian with light brown hair, weight about 170 lbs, maybe 5'8"." At this description Ben nodded, as far as he could tell there were five men and two women in this Bright Future chapter, all of which were in their early twenties. Of the men, only three of them were white with brown hair, and only one of those matched the weight and height description given by Darryl. With a silent cue from Adam, Ben spoke up while he began to set up his laptop on the nearby oak desk.

"That would be James Costigan. He's a second year attendee at Columbia Basin College studying economics and business. His first year econ teacher was none other than a Mr. Fideal himself." By now he had set up his laptop and was able to pull up the files on both the student and the fae. "He was in the same class as that bitch cousin of Tim's, Courtney. I reckon they're going out or some shit, which explains why the bastard's daft enough to spy on a bunch of werewolves. He lives in Kennewick." Opening another file, a picture of James appeared on the screen. Leaning over, Darryl looked at the photo and nodded.

"Yup, that was him. He didn't seem that experienced though, he was in his car parked on the other side of the road two driveways down from Aiden's office building." Adam breathed out thoughtfully.

"Who are the other members?" Clicking around some more, Ben opened and closed several files.

"There's the Queen bitch, Courtney Milanovich, 20, and the first cousin of Timothy Milanovich. She has a criminal record for two speeding tickets and her stint as a vandal last September, where she was fined for the repair costs and told to 'play nice'." The last part came out in a sneer; Ben liked Mercy, and not just because of her status as his Alpha's mate. "The only other female is Sarah O'Connor; she's 23 and has no criminal record. She studies History part time at Columbia Basin and works at a music store at Kennewick plaza."

As he went through the list of Children for a Bright Future members, he clicked on photos and records he had gathered, allowing all present to get a good look at who they were and what they looked like.

"The oldest guy is Riley Utley, he's 25 and has an assault charge from an anti-fae demonstration gone south. Next is James at 23 along with his brother Alan Costigan, 22. There's not much on him, he works at a bookstore in Pasco and got average grades in high school with no applications to University. The next one down the list is a Tyrell Johnson; he's 21 and is in the same course as James, he just transferred up from Chicago where he grew up. He has a website that lists the 'problems caused by fae and other preternatural creatures in society' where he explicitly states that werewolves breed and enjoy violence. The last one is Michael Barceló, 21. Now he's a real piece of work. In his teens he was a firebug with several arson charges. In and out of juvie, he has an assault and battery charge for beating a guy with a crow bar when he was 16. And two years ago his ex-girlfriend got a restraining order on him, stating that she had had several death threats and feared for her life."

The final photo Ben showed his fellow wolves was a mug-shot of a 6ft tall burly man with dirty blonde hair and a visible scar above his left eye. Of all the people on his list of Bright Future members, he was the only one who seemed truly capable of violence. The three other men seemed to agree.

"I'll have Carlos keep an eye on him." Adam said. Carlos worked with him in his security business, though Ben didn't really get along with the guy. Motioning for him to continue, Adam listened to the rest of Ben's report.

"From what I can tell, most of these are new members, the old ones don't agree with some of Bitch's more antagonistic methods, since originally it was just a bunch of pansies sitting around chatting about how scary old fairy tales were. The pansies don't want to stir up trouble with us terrible beasties, so they dropped out. The John Lawrence Society and the American Anti-fae Association are a whole new kettle of fish. The members lists overlap so much they're practically the same club, and they're mostly rich bastards who hang out at country clubs and play golf."

Again Ben's face twisted into the sneer he was best known for. "A lot of them are lawyers, doctors, company men and a few politicians. Senator Stapleton, Senator Reynolds and Governor Miles are all getting their backing officially, there's no evidence of the Secretary of Defense whoring himself out, but that just means that he's more careful than most. They've been contacting several Congressmen that Bran has on his side, trying to get them to bat for the other team, but they don't _appear_ to be listening." Everyone heard the stress on the word, knowing that just because Ben didn't find anything didn't mean there wasn't anything to be found. Adam nodded, taking everything in.

"We can always ask Charles Cornick to look into it, though he probably already is. Is there anything else?"  
Ben shook his head in response.

"There was a rumor about them helping to fund some kids in a botched terrorist attempt but the Feds could never tie anything to them. There were a few members who were buddy-buddy with Blackwood, but I can't say for certain that it was anything more than a few business deals." At this Warren frowned.

"Didn't Blackwood tell Mercy about Gerry Wallace coming to him about ammunition for werewolf tranquilizers?"

"Yes," Adam said. "But he didn't help out; he didn't want to take on the Marrok."

"True, but his company dealt in specialty ammunition, still does. We know the government commissioned him to make some weapons specifically designed to take down werewolves, what if his successor decides to help the JLS and the AAA out and give them the weapons needed to kill us? All it would take is a few 'radicals' to start picking us off and someone is bound to lose control." Darryl put in. This was bad. Very bad. Straightening and looking at his watch – they had been in his office for almost an hour – Adam sighed.

"I want everyone on alert; I'll talk to the Marrok and some other alphas and see what they have to say. I want everyone to be aware of their control, we cannot afford to have any bad publicity or make mistakes right now, it could very well be fatal." Knowing that the meeting was over, Ben proceeded to pack away his laptop while Darryl said his goodbyes. Finally straightening, Ben gave a nod to the darker man as he left before turning to face his alpha.

"Well boss, looks like you ended this just in time for dinner." Warren spoke up, lightening the mood as only he could. Smiling ruefully, Adam held the door open and followed his two wolves downstairs.

While the men were upstairs having their top-secret meeting, Annie and Jesse were busy cooking dinner. A lot of dinner. As a general rule, werewolves needed more food than most people, and three male werewolves… well lets just say the grocery store needed to restock their pasta isle. Annie wondered vaguely if a werewolf could literally eat you out of house and home. While they prepared the feast, the two girls talked about nothing and everything all at once as Jesse explained the ins and outs of living with a bunch of werewolves plus one coyote.

"So she's basically the only one left?" Annie asked, stirring the bolognaise – once again in monstrous proportions. Jesse nodded her head as she blew on a steaming noodle.

"Yup, one of a kind." _More like all alone_, Annie thought. She certainly knew what that felt like. Moving away from her more morbid thoughts Annie contemplated what they could be talking about upstairs. From what she heard both from Kyle and Jesse as well as the news reports the whole werewolf issue was making some big waves in the political ocean, so the meeting was probably about that. Samuel hadn't said anything about it though, and she wondered how long it would take for them to be comfortable enough to talk about big issues like that with each other, how long it would take to trust each other.

"Noodles are done. How's the sauce?" Jesse's voice cut through her musings, and Annie blinked a couple times in rapid succession.

"Sauce is done, but I'll keep it on low until everyone's ready to eat."

"No need to wait, we're all here." Adam's voice was so sudden – as was his appearance in the kitchen – that Annie bit her tongue. She really needed to fix her people-radar. The room suddenly seemed a lot more crowded now that three more people occupied it, especially with their added _other_ that made them at first glance seem to take up more space than their physical forms.

"Well in that case, let's eat." The crowd set about following Jesse's orders, bringing the food into the dining room where the table had already been set. After everyone had been settled in with food on their plates Annie found herself seated between Jesse and Ben, with Warren and Adam across from her.

Silence. It was uncomfortable. And loud. Jesse had attempted to coax her father into polite conversation, but he was too preoccupied with whatever he was thinking about to be sociable. Warren too seemed to be off in la la land, though judging by the frown on his face whatever had him and Adam so wound up was not an enjoyable thought. Annie had resorted to pushing her food around on her plate, eating occasionally, feeling very awkward and intrusive. Sometime during the meal she noticed it, the sensation that she was being watched. Not the curious gaze one sometimes got for simply being a new person in a room, but an intense stare.

Someone was staring at her, their eyes boring holes in her and causing the hair on her neck to stand and her senses to prickle. Sneaking a glance up from her food, Annie looked around the table discreetly. What she saw only confirmed her suspicions; Ben was sitting to her left, eating at an even pace without paying any attention to his meal at all. When she looked up he immediately caught her eye, blatantly staring at her with an intense and somewhat curious look on his face.

The intensity of his stare doubled upon gaining her attention, and Ben abandoned all pretense of eating in order to watch her. This intensity brought on a change in Ben's expression which caused the heat to rise in Annie's cheeks and she immediately looked down in embarrassment, only to become angry for her reaction. She had never met this man before, but judging by what she had seen of him so far, they weren't going to get along. He was loud, arrogant, cocky and rude. No, Annie decided, she didn't like this man one bit.

* * *

Ben was barely paying any attention to his meal. For days he had agonized over his elusive prey, only to find her in the least expected place, the pack's den. As he watched her, he took in everything he could; from her posture to her delicate bone structure, from the way her eyes darted across the room to the few strands of golden hair that he itched to move behind her ear. He absently wondered if they were as soft as they looked. Almost as if she had caught his thought, Annie's shoulders stiffened. Pausing her movements, she peered up from underneath her eyelashes and looked around the table. As her eyes settled on Ben he caught her gaze, trapping it with his own.

Her eyes were a misty blue, ringed in black, as he was once again dawn into their depths, as though there was something hidden there, just out of reach. Faintly Ben heard his prey's heartbeat pick up, sending a small shiver of satisfaction down his spine. Her eyes widened slightly, a faint pink blush skittering across her cheeks before she quickly broke away from his gaze, once more looking down at her plate. A smirk formed on Ben's lips as he watched her reaction to their staring contest, the scent of her embarrassment and frustration only fueling his satisfaction.

A sharp pain zinged its way up Ben's leg, effectively squelching any pleasure he felt. Sharply turning his head he was met with another gaze, this one from Warren, who had just given him a swift kick underneath the table. Apparently his brief exchange with Annie had not gone unnoticed.

Ignoring the glare Ben was giving him, Warren shot the younger wolf a look which clearly said 'knock it off'. Ben had always been one to get into trouble, and as his pack-mate and superior it was Warren's job to see to it that such trouble did not cause his untimely death. Antagonizing the granddaughter of the Marrok was not something Ben was likely to survive if it continued. Not to mention that over the past few years Ben and Warren had become friends, Ben being one of only a handful of male wolves to accept Warren's position in the pack despite his sexual preferences, and after what had happened with the demon, they had bonded in a way that only survivors of something horrible can.

Conceding defeat, Ben turned his concentration back onto his meal while Warren continued to look back and forth between Annie and his pack-mate. Ben had been behaving slightly off for the past few days, almost as though his attention was diverted elsewhere and he was running on auto-pilot. Tonight was the first time he had shown any interest in what was in front of him, starting when he had met Annie.

Warren recalled the way Ben had stared her down in the kitchen earlier in the night. He had found it odd then that Ben would put an infliction on 'you' when addressing her, but had chalked it up to his tendency to be blatantly rude. Now however Warren realized that it could have a totally different meaning. He remembered too the scent of Ben's shock, followed by curiosity and… excitement? Narrowing his eyes the cowboy studied the wolf across from him. There was something he was missing. Deciding that this was something he would have to discuss with Ben later, Warren finished his meal along with the others, thankful that Samuel had not joined them for dinner. God forbid that he caught wind of this; it was a well known fact that Ben was not high on the lone wolf's trusted people list.

* * *

As Adam saw his wolves out, Annie and Jesse cleared away the plates from dinner. Loading the dishwasher and wiping off the counters, Jesse chattered away while Annie listened with half an ear.

"So what do you think?" Annie turned at the barely heard question, silently cursing her wandering attention.

"What do I think about what?" she asked, trying to remember what the other girl had been on about. At this Jesse rolled her eyes, tossing the now dirty rag into the sink and proceeding to help load the rest of the dishes into the dishwasher.

"About Ben." She stressed, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. At this Annie shrugged, and looked back towards her work.

"He seems, arrogant." She said after a moment, thinking back to annoying way his mouth molded into a smirk. Jesse nodded.

"Yeah, he can be like that, but once you get to know him he's not so bad. He seems pretty curious about you." Looking up at Jesse in surprise, she quickly frowned at the cheeky smile planted on the younger girl's face. Quickly forcing down the urge to blush, Annie surmised that she was not the only one who had noticed Ben's behavior.

"If you say so." She said, closing the dishwasher and turning it on. Annie may not be sure why he found her interesting or what he wanted, but one thing was for sure; she had no intention what so ever of getting to know Ben. With that thought firmly planted in her mind, Annie said goodnight to the Hauptmans and got ready for bed.

Warren and Ben stepped off of Adam's front steps and into the night air and headed towards their respective vehicles.

"So Annie huh?" Ben said, trying to sound nonchalant. He knew that Warren wasn't about to let his little dinner stunt go, he could tell by the way the other wolf had watched him for the rest if the night. Warren slowed to a stop by his truck.

"Yes, Annie, daughter of Sam. Anything you want to tell me?" He turned to look at the younger wolf expectantly. Ben did not discard the veiled warning about who she was, and who her family was in the third's sentence. Leaning against his red Ford he looked back at Warren and shrugged.

"I've never met her before." He stated the truth, but both men knew that wasn't all of it. Deciding to let the matter rest for now, Warren sighed and opened the driver's door.

"Don't do anything stupid." It was an order, and one that Ben was going to find difficult to follow. However, Warren hadn't told him to stay away from the girl, so perhaps there was hope yet. Hope for what though, that was a whole other mystery that Ben had yet to solve. Getting into his truck, the Englishman waited for his pack-mate to drive out first before following him onto the road home.

It was just after Samuel's shift at the hospital was over when he finally got the call he had been waiting for. Pulling over to the side of the road, he answered his phone.

"Samuel." he said, not bothering to look at the caller ID. Charles' voice answered through the speaker.

It's me, I've found something."

* * *

_And they finally met. _

_Review?_

_Quick._


	10. All About Annie

**Disclaimer - I own NOT A THING that you recognize.**

**AN: OK folks, last revised chapter, now. All the chappies following will be the new ones! **

**Don't forget to review!**

* * *

**Chapter 9 – All About Annie**

**At Adam's**

Annie lay awake in the bed of the spare bedroom at the Hauptman's. It was hard for her to relax knowing that she was sharing a house with a very powerful werewolf, a lethal predator that could probably kill her before she could say 'oh crap'. Not that she knew if Adam would hurt her, but she was not comfortable being around people who were so much stronger than her. She had learned early on that those who were strong used it against the weak, so it was best to avoid them.

She had drawn her powers around her as a protective shell, the feeling of its warmth calming her down and bringing her some peace of mind. Since she was going to stay, she would have plenty of time to adjust to the idea of being around people who weren't out to harm her, but for now she reserved the right to be cautious.

Rolling over onto her side and smoothing her hair from her face, Annie stared into the darkness of the room. It felt strange, having so many people in her life after being alone for so long, but it was a good strange, one that she wouldn't mind getting used to. Closing he eyes Annie drifted off to a thankfully dreamless sleep.

**At Mercy's**

Mercy got home later than usual after working on a much loved bug for most of the day. Despite her best efforts however, the bug was dead, and it would cost the owner more than the car was worth for the repairs. Sighing at the realization that she would have to break the bad news to them herself – Gabriel had made those calls the last three times – she had decided to put it off until tomorrow. Unlocking the door and stepping inside, she was met by a waiting Medea. Scooping up the cat on her way to the kitchen, Mercy put her purse down and set about feeding them both.

She hadn't been in the house five minutes when the phone rang. Placing her bowl of pasta on the counter – courtesy of Samuel, who was well aware of how little Mercy cooked – picked up the phone.

"Mercy here." She answered. There were only a few people who had her home number, and fewer still who would call after 6pm.

"I missed you at dinner." Adam's voice came out of the earpiece in a husky tone that she wasn't sure was entirely accidental, but made her heart skip a beat none-the-less. Hopping onto the counter, Mercy let a smile spread across hr lips.

"I had to work late. How was the meeting?" she asked, not really wanting to talk about pack business, but she knew it was important. Adam sighed, conveying how tired he really was before answering.

"It went as well as can be expected. We know what we are up against now with Bright Future and we're keeping an eye out for anything unusual." He proceeded to fill her in while she ate and got ready for bed, with her butting in and asking questions here and there.

"So all we can do now is wait." Mercy stated once Adam had finished, she was lying on her bed, looking up at the ceiling with a slight frown on her face – she hated playing the waiting game, it made her feel like prey waiting for the hunter to strike.

"Unfortunately yes, at least until we have some more information. I'm looking into Blackwood Industries to see what I can find, but right now caution and surveillance is all we can do." Mercy sighed, more than a little annoyed at the situation. Most of the problems that came up always had something that only she could do, but this was just too big, and she was having a hard time coming to terms with the idea of sitting this one out. She knew nothing about politics anyways, so if she did help it wouldn't be very much.

"Go to sleep Mercy, you're tired. Let me handle it." Adam could feel her frustration through their mate-bond, and he knew it wouldn't help if she burned herself out focusing on problems she couldn't fix. Smiling, Mercy looked over at the clock, it was already after 10:30.

"Tell me about dinner first." She was genuinely curious about how Annie was doing, and how she was fitting in.

"Dinner was a little awkward, I think Annie felt out of place, but she and Jesse get along fine, so there isn't anything to worry about." Adam was a little wary of having strangers around his pack, let alone his daughter, but Annie didn't seem to be a threat, and it would be good for Jesse if she had a friend to help bear the burden of living with werewolves. He knew how hard it was for his daughter to straddle both worlds, even if she never complained.

"She's doing well, considering the circumstances. I remember trying to fit in at my mother's house when I went to live with her, and at least she knew I existed."

"It's going to be interesting for both of them, but Samuel knows how important she is, so he won't give up." Adam agreed. He and the lone wolf may not be the best of friends, what with their previous competition over Mercy and the matter of dominance, but he liked Samuel as a person, and he knew too well how difficult it was for male werewolves to have children. Annie was a blessing without even knowing it.

After a few more minutes of enjoying each other's conversation, Mercy decided to call it a night. Hanging up the phone she crawled under the covers, already feeling the absence of Adam's voice. And Adam. Mercy sighed. Ever since they had become mates she had been more inclined to have him close by. They spent most nights at his house, and he frequently came over to hers when she was around.

He had even suggested her moving in with him and Jesse, there was plenty of room and it made sense for them to live together. But she had avoided that conversation, telling him that she liked her trailer, and Samuel was her pack, and he needed her. Both of these things were true, and he let it be. But if Mercy was honest with herself, the real reason she didn't want to move in with him was was silly, she knew, but her trailer was _hers_ and she wasn't ready to give that up; her entire life she had been fighting with dominant wolves to keep herself and her independence, and while she loved Adam, she loved that too. Sighing, Mercy snuggled further into the covers.

Annie's arrival and Samuel's pending departure from her house made her realize that Sam probably wouldn't need her now as much as he used to. She needed time to think, perhaps living with Adam was a good idea… besides, if she did give up her trailer she would still have her garage. With that final thought she drifted off to a peaceful sleep.

* * *

**Samuel's car**

Samuel held his breath; he didn't need his werewolf senses to pick up on the seriousness of his brother's voice. Whatever Charles had found, it was not good. Steeling himself, he nodded before remembering that his brother couldn't see the movement.

"Go ahead." On the other end of the line, Charles took a deep breath before shuffling some papers around.

"Well, from what you gave me, I was able to track her movements backwards through the foster care system. After the death of her mother when she was eight, Annie was placed in foster care where she was moved from home to home. From when she was eight until her eighteenth birthday, she had lived in a total of fifteen households."

Samuel frowned as he turned over this information in his head, several things jumping to his attention as he did so. First, was that Annie had been moved around far too many times.

Samuel spoke.

"That's more than one house a year. Does it say why she was moved around so much?"

Charles nodded, knowing very well that his brother couldn't see him.

"According to the files Annie was a troubled kid. She was picked up by the cops a few times for stealing and trespassing on private property. The trouble caused some of the families to give Annie up and place her back in the system." Charles began.

"And the others?" Samuel asked.

"Some of the changes were made at the discretion of the case worker, not at the request of the foster carers. I cross referenced her medical records with her foster care file, When she was in certain homes she had a large number of unexplained injuries. There are broken bones, burns, bruises, concussions and malnutrition. I'd say she was abused on and off during her time in the foster care system."

Samuel took a breath and rested his head on the window of his saw it every time he looked at her; it was in the way she stood, never letting herself get blocked into a corner, always keeping an eye on the exit. It was there in the wary looks she gave him, like she was waiting for him to strike out, and he hadn't wanted to accept it. The very idea that his daughter, his own flesh and blood, had been subject to violence made his blood boil. And it felt even worse to know that there was nothing he could do about it. He could never save her, and he didn't know how to fix it.

"Sam, there's something else. Her file also says that she was incarcerated in a juvenile detention centre for two years. Because she was a minor her record has been expunged, but I was able to crack open the records. Annie was arrested for grand theft auto in connection with a chop shop run by a mobster. She was 15."

Charles stopped to let this information sink in, and Samuel was completely silent on the other end.

Samuel sighed and rubbed his face harshly with his free hand. He had known when he first made the call to get his brother's aid that he would not like the answers he got, but to have all his suspicions proved correct about his daughter's past was hard. She had been abused for years, bounced around and abandoned by people who were supposed to care, left to fend for herself, fell in with criminals and was locked up for two years. No wonder she was so introverted.

"What happened after she got out?" He asked, not quite able to keep the growl from his voice.

"Annie got her GED in juvie and her parole officer got her a job stacking shelves in a library. She's been there ever since, and lives in a rented room in an apartment building not too far from her work." There was silence on both ends. "She got her life together Sam. There's no record of her committing any crimes after she became an adult."

Samuel pondered this before sighing.

"It seems I have a lot to think about. Thank you Charles, you really helped." There was an awkward pause with neither brother knowing quite what to say to the other. Finally, Charles spoke up.

"Sam, I think the best thing is to just be patient, even though the abuse is in the past, she still suffers from the affects now. It will take a while and a lot of help before she will be comfortable with you." He spoke from experience, and Samuel knew that his brother's mate had gone through similar treatment, though he desperately hoped that his little girl had not gone through _that_.

"Thank you." He said again, unsure of how to reply. He needed to think, and he best did that alone. As if on que, Charles shifted on the other end of the line.

"You're welcome. Goodnight brother." With that he hung up, leaving Samuel alone in the silent car.

Sighing, Sam pushed all thoughts out of his head. He would be patient and wait as long as it took to gain Annie's trust. He knew there was nothing he could do about the past. He could, however, ensure that nothing and no one would ever harm his daughter again. With that in mind Samuel started his car, turning back onto the road towards home, certain that he wasn't going to get any sleep.

* * *

**At Adam's**

The next morning dawned bright and early, as they usually do, and Annie began to wonder at her lapse of judgment that lead to her blinds to be partially open, allowing the entrance of the sliver of sunlight that had stabbed at her eyelids, ruthlessly tearing away the veil of sleep. Groaning, she sat up and looked around her temporary room. It was a Friday, which meant that Adam and Mercy would both have work today.

Jesse's school year didn't start for another three weeks, so the two girls would have the whole house to themselves. Samuel worked the night shift so Annie could spend time with him too. Thinking about work made her remember her own job at the library, and she felt a pang of guilt and home sickness at the thought of it. She didn't have much by way of possessions, but the few people who worked along side her at the library had become good friends, and she missed them, not to mention the normalcy that her work routine had given her.

In the past week her entire world had shifted; she had gone from a poor lonely orphan that nobody wanted or cared about to the daughter of a werewolf, an acquaintance with an alpha and several other people, and the potential resident of a house in Finley, not to mention she had acquired a friend who reminded her of a rainbow. It was a lot to take in, and not for the first time Annie wondered what she had been thinking when she started this mission. Not that she regretted coming, the thought, but she felt odd, as though she didn't know where she fit in anymore.

Everything she thought she knew had changed, and the future she had anticipated was no longer the road ahead of her. Rubbing her hand over her face to erase the residue of sleep, Annie flipped the covers aside and hopped out of bed. She would have to go back to Ann Arbor soon, but not today, so there was no use thinking about it.

Finally up and ready for the day, Annie came out into the main area of the house downstairs to find Adam and Jesse up and readying breakfast. Frowning at the man's presence she looked around for a clock, finding one on the wall in the dining room she was surprised to see it was 7:30, she hadn't realised she was up so early.

"Hey, you're awake! Good thing too, Dad would've eaten all the pancakes if you had slept in." Jesse's voice was bright and cheery, much like the girl herself, and Annie was hit by the notable discovery that her colourful friend was a morning person.

"Good morning Jesse, Mr. Hauptman." She replied as she walked towards the two occupants, nodding to each respectively.

"Good morning Annie, and please, call me Adam." The alpha replied, turning slightly to study the girl before him. He was still curious about her odd reactions – or lack thereof – to werewolves but had yet to spot anything else out of the ordinary. Her body language told him that she was cautious, but she seemed a little more relaxed in Jesse's presence, obviously not considering her to be a threat.

As she sat down next to Jesse – leaving the width of the table as a barrier between herself and the alpha – Adam went about serving her a good sized plate of pancakes which she proceeded to smother in butter and maple syrup. She was a small girl and could use some added weight.

The Hauptmans and their guest made some small talk, mostly fuelled by Jesse, who couldn't wait to show Annie her CD collection, and Annie felt herself calm down, settling more comfortably in her seat.

Adam had not, as he had pretended, missed the odd interactions of his dinner guests the previous night, and looking back on it now, wondered if their was perhaps something personal going on between Samuel's daughter and his wolf Ben. While he had at first doubted it, since both Warren and Annie seemed confused, the more he thought about Ben's behavior, the more out of character it seemed.

Ben was a misogynist and, to put it bluntly, a bit of a jerk. If he had known Annie, he would have said something, and no doubt it would have been inappropriate, though he did tone down his bad behavior for Adam and his daughter. He was also loyal and painfully honest, and Adam trusted him perhaps more than he did most of the other members in his pack.

He had been wary of the Englishman at first, but Ben had proven himself beyond a doubt, putting his life on the line for his pack on more than one occasion. No then, they didn't know each other, Ben however, appeared to recognize her. Adam had not missed his obvious distraction during their meeting, or the smug look he wore in the presence of Samuel's daughter.

For whatever reason, this girl had piqued Ben's interest and he only hoped that nothing bad came of it; Ben was an odd one, but not as dangerous as he seemed. Adam trusted Warren to keep Ben in line, and for now Adam had seen nothing to make him think that Ben was anything but extremely curious. It was an amusing thought, one he would share with Mercy later.

* * *

**Ben's office**

Ben both loved and hated Fridays. They signalled the end of the week, and there was always the knowledge that when you stepped out of the office at the end of the day, you wouldn't have to return for two days. However, Fridays also seemed to drag on, and mostly consisted of filing paperwork and answering emails. Despite this boring workload, he was in a markedly better mood then yesterday.

His hunt was back in full swing, and all he needed to do now was figure out his next move. He was intrigued by Annie, he wanted to know where she was from, why she was here, and why now? He had been unable to ask these questions at dinner last night, and looking back had the hindsight to realise that making her uncomfortable was not likely to help.

Scratching his head, effectively turning his tidy hair into an array of messy blonde strands that somehow looked better on him than the previously neat hairstyle, Ben sat down on the computer chair in his office ad placed his work bag under his desk. He had the entire weekend to come up with and execute a plan of action, and the sooner he got through his work, the sooner that weekend began.

* * *

**At Mercy's**

Samuel ha drifted off to sleep sometime in the early hours of morning. It had taken him a while to settle down his wolf and start thinking rationally about the situation. Once he had stopped imagining how easy it would be to track down Annie's abusers and rip them to pieces he had begun to think in terms of the present; what would he now do with the information Charles gave him?

That had been easy to answer with a clear head: he would buy the house that Annie wanted; he would support her, nurture her and love her unconditionally. He would build a perfect and safe place in his life for her, and he would never let her suffer again. It was on that note that he had gone to sleep, and it was still there when he woke up mid-morning. (Being a werewolf had its perks, one of which being that he didn't need as much sleep as a normal human, as long as he didn't overdo it.)

Mercy had already left for work, so Samuel had the trailer to himself as he showered dressed and ate breakfast – with the food doing more to wake him up than the warm water of the shower did. Once ready for the day Sam began sorting out everything he had so far on the house hunting project, taking the advertisement for the last house they visited and placing it off to one side. He would keep his promise to keep her safe and happy, and if that meant buying the house she wanted, then he couldn't really think of a better thing to do.

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_Last of the revised chapters, and now onto the new ones, please review and tell em what you think!_

_Quick_.


	11. Hit and Run

**Disclaimer - I own GNIHTON that you recognize, backwards. **

**Alrighty, please review, they make me smile! :)**

* * *

**Chapter 10 – Hit and Run**

The past week had been pretty uneventful, and Samuel had noticed that Annie was not as enthusiastic about their house hunt as he was. He hoped fervently that she was not having second thoughts about living with him. Glancing over to the passenger seat of his car, Sam had to smile at the peacefulness written across his daughter's face. She was resting her head on the glass, her body angled towards the door and her arms wrapped protectively around her midsection. In sleep, all of the nervous energy that she carried with her dissipated, leaving her looking younger than she really was.

It was late afternoon and they were returning to Mercy's after a long day of house-hunting. Sam was hoping to talk more with Annie before he started his shift at the hospital. She had been very closed off about her past when the topic had been brought up, but the old wolf was not too worried, they had year for her to open up so there was no sense in scaring her off by being to pushy now.

Pulling up in front of Mercy's trailer, Annie shifted awake as soon as the engine cut off.

"Hey you, have a nice nap?" Annie smiled slightly at the teasing grin she found on her father's face.

"As nice as your fancy car is Sam, my hunk of metal is way more comfortable to sleep in." Getting out of the car, Annie failed to notice the fleeting look of concern that graced Sam's features before his crooked smile was back in place.

They spent the next few hours eating leftovers and playing scrabble – it turned out that spelling was not Annie's strong suit, for all her reading. It was on the floor in the living room, game bored spread out between them, where Mercy found them when she came home. Looking up at the sound of the door, Annie threw the native woman a small smile in greeting.  
"Hey Mercy, you're just in time for my grand finale." Samuel called out, not bothering to look up – after all, he had heard her car from down the street. Not hearing a reply, Sam raised his head, a small frown on his face.

Mercy stood at the entrance, leaning against the closed front door for support. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?" Sam was up and in front of her in the span of a breath, leaving a confused Annie alone on the floor.

Snapping out of her odd state, Mercy waved off Samuel's help and moved past him into the house.

"I'm fine." She stated, dropping her car keys and purse on the coffee table. Sitting on the chair closest to her she looked at the two occupants in the room with a sombre expression. "Scott, one of Adam's pack, was attacked." The statement hung in the air, heavy and ominous.

"What do you mean attacked?" Samuel asked, immediately going into doctor mode.

"He was run over by a truck, repeatedly. Adam and Darryl are going to get him from the hospital now. He wants you to meet him there."

Sam nodded, briskly turning around to head towards his room. Pausing, he looked directly at Annie, who had sat silent throughout the entire exchange.

"Go to Adam's house, Jesse should be there, both of you stay inside and don't leave." The order was give in a tone that brooked no argument, and Annie found herself nodding, her smile gone.

"I will come with you," Mercy announced. "there is nothing I can do at the hospital."

Soon after the trailer was empty, with Sam grabbing his medical bag and hightailing it towards the hospital and Annie and Mercy putting away the scrabble game and walking over the back paddock towards the Hauptman residence.

"Who is Scott?" Annie asked, finally finding her voice. Sneaking a peak at her companion, she noted the worry lines emerging on Mercy's forehead. Sighing, Mercy answered.

"He is one of Adam's wolves, I don't really know him, but he's a pack member, so this is pretty bad."

Annie nodded, not really understanding everything but unwilling to ask for clarification. "Is he going to be ok?" By now they had reached the back door of the mansion. Warren was waiting for them on the porch. Tipping his hat to the newcomers he spoke.

"I don't think we can answer that question yet."

Mercy nodded at the cowboy and motioned for everyone to go inside. Once in the house she answered.

"Werewolves are tough. He has several broken bones, and a few crushed ones, most humans would be dead. We will know more when we get him back here. Samuel is a good doctor." Warren caught Mercy's eye, and Annie watched as something unspoken passed between the two and not for the first time since starting this adventure, felt out of her depth. This was bad. That much she could tell. But there was so much she didn't know. Crossing her arms in front of her, Annie walked forward into the house to find Jesse.

* * *

"Do you get a lot of this kind of stuff?" Annie asked, tucking her feet under her knees. It had been an hour since Samuel had run off to the hospital and Annie and Jesse were currently sitting on the younger girl's bed, waiting.

"Kind of, I mean being a werewolf is kind of dangerous, but not many of them get attacked like this." Jesse shrugged. "It sucks being the only human here though. They never tell me anything." Annie nodded. She had a feeling that she would go insane if she was always kept in the dark about the safety of her friends.

A large black jeep pulled up the driveway and parked next to the couple of cars already there. Annie and Jesse both bounced off the bed and ran to the window, watching as Adam, Samuel and the dark-skinned man she had seen the other day all got out and carried a prone figure into the house. Looking at each other, Annie saw the fear and determination in her friend's face before following her as she sprinted out of the room and down the stairs.

The living room was chaos. The tension of the wolves' upset was a weight pressing down on everyone and Annie was struck with double vision. Shaking her head she stayed at the bottom of the steps as she watched the scene unfold before her.

* * *

Adam was barking orders at someone to move the furniture out of the way as they moved Scott to the living room. Setting him down on the floor, Samuel moved quickly to check over the body of the wolf to make sure his condition hadn't worsened. Adam was concentrating on keeping the injured wolf in control, reassuring him that he was no longer in danger. Mercy moved closer and placed her hand on Adam's arm, her presence helping to settle his own wolf, which was raging for revenge over the harm of his pack-member.

Having moved the furniture, Warren went over to assist Samuel in looking over the body on the floor. He had been in a similar situation in the not too distant past, and was ready to help restrain him if need be, though from the looks of it he would be out for some time. Unresponsive and bloodied, Scott's was hardly recognizable.

Ben parked his car and ran up the steps into the house and stopped short as soon as he got to the living room. Everyone had felt it when Scott was hurt, thanks to the pack bonds, but no one knew how badly. Looking down at her now, he was speechless. Almost.

"Bloody hell, what did they do to him?"

It was Samuel who answered.

"Ran him over about five times with a large vehicle," He growled. "He's got five broken ribs, two broken legs, a crushed forearm and ankle. Internal injuries most likely and more than a few cuts." Whistling under his breath, Ben shook his head and looked around. Darryl was being occupied by Adam and Mercy, Warren was now helping the doc and Honey and Paul were keeping Jesse at a safe distance in the kitchen. His eyes landed on Annie and stopped. Half hidden by shadow, she was a statue by the stairs, watching with an alarmed look as her father worked to give Scott a fighting chance. Even now, his wolf was awakened more by her than anything else that had happened. She was too close to the rest of the company; with no Honey or Paul to save her if things went south. Idiot.

Swiftly walking over to her, he sneered slightly when her head snapped towards him in surprise. Silly chit wasn't even paying attention to her surroundings. Getting closer, he felt something odd when he watched her shuffle backwards away from him up the first few steps of the staircase.

"Go upstairs before anything gets out of hand, you'll just be in the way here." He told her. Annie's eyes, which had widened at his approach, narrowed as soon as he spoke. Opening her mouth to argue, she was interrupted by an inhuman cry of pain coming from her right. Looking back, both Ben and Annie realised that Scott had woken up, and was now struggling to get up, his pain and vulnerability making the wolf take over. Swearing under his breath Ben turned and grabbed Annie by the forearms, bodily pushing her part of the way up the stairs before being called back down to help. Turning to look her in the eye, he said, "Stay up here, its safer." before jumping down to the bottom step with more grace than Annie thought possible.

* * *

Samuel had done all he could to help the wolf, bandaging his wounds and setting his bones in the correct places. He needed several stiches and more than a few casts, but thankfully hadn't fought him too much after Warren and Adam had switched places. Adam was able to calm his wolf down while Warren and Darryl stood close by.

Mercy had taken Jesse upstairs to her room and Honey and Paul had moved with Scott to the holding cell downstairs. The presence of pack members, especially a submissive like Paul, was soothing to the more dominant wolves in a crisis. Moving past Ben towards the stairs, Sam went back up to the main area of the house. Looking around, he finally spotted Annie, sitting halfway up the stairs, an unreadable look on her face.

"Are you ok?" He asked, moving to sit beside her.

"I'm fine. How is the patient?" Annie looked over at Sam, noting his blood stained hands and tired appearance. Sighing, Samuel moved to rub his face but stopped when he remembered that he still had his gloves on. Stripping them off, he answered.

"If he makes it through tonight, he will live." Nodding, Annie looked thoughtful for a moment before placing a hand comfortingly on his shoulder.

"You should get some rest, you look exhausted." Sam shook his head.

"I can't, I need to stay here and watch Scott, and call Da." Seeing the puzzled look on his daughter's face, he realised that he had yet to mention his father to her. "Your grandfather is a werewolf too, he will want to know about the attack." He stated.

Annie blinked in shock. She had figured that Samuel's father was long dead, considering he was a werewolf and older than he looked. This revelation however had Annie thinking.

"Are there any other furry family members I don't know about?" she asked, unsure if she wanted to know the answer. She had felt so good about coming here these past few days, but her old fear of disrupting his life was now back with a vengeance. Sensing her distress, Sam straightened.

"I have a brother, also a werewolf. They both live in Montana, and both of them want to meet you." He said, hoping to reassure her. Nodding but not convinced, Annie looked away, desperate to change the subject.

"So, what now?"

"Well for now we wait. I would like you to go find Mercy and Jesse, Jesse likes all the wolves in her father's pack and could use some company. Please tell Mercy that I'm done doctoring and need to speak with her." Getting up, Samuel and Annie went their separate ways, Annie finding the two aforementioned people in Jesse's room. After relaying the message to Mercy, Annie went over to sit with Jesse on the bed while the mechanic trotted back downstairs.

"Hey, you ok?" Annie asked, unsure of what to do. Her experiences of the bright teenager were all happy ones, so seeing her with tear streaked cheeks and a red nose was unsettling.

Nodding, the younger teenager rubbed her face with her hands before taking a deep breath.

"I hate seeing them hurt, you know?" Nodding, Annie shuffled a little closer so that they could lay on the bed together, giving her friend a reassuring squeeze of the hand, they laid there for hours, just thinking.

* * *

Opening her eyes, Annie realised that she must have fallen asleep. Sneaking off the bed without waking up Jesse, Annie walked out to the main part of the house, looking around for other signs of life. She found Warren and Mercy in the dining room, each with a cup of coffee sitting untouched in front of them. Looking up as she walked in, Annie was greeted by all three occupants.

"Would you like some coffee?" Mercy asked, already moving to get a mug. Nodding her head, Annie turned to the couple across from her and pulled out a chair and sat down.

"Hi Warren." She said as she sat down next to him.

"Hello back, I can't say that I like the circumstances, but it's nice to see you again Annie." His soft voice didn't carry much humor, but his attempt was appreciated nevertheless.

"Yeah, I hope I'm not intruding, Jesse is out cold for now, and I don't feel like sleeping."

Mercy came back in with another mug and gave it to Annie.

"Not at all, Warren and I are just keeping each other company. There's nothing else we can do really. Your father is downstairs with everyone else." She said, sitting back down.

The time dragged on in relative silence, with little conversation to pass it. Feeling someone watching her, Annie looked up to see Ben walking towards them from the living room. Moving into the dining area, his gaze lingered on Annie before he turned his attention to Mercy and Warren. "Adam is on his way up, the doc is staying downstairs, Warren and I are on guard duty for tonight and everyone else should get here in the morning."

Standing up, Warren drained his lukewarm coffee and pushed in his chair.  
"I'll take front, you get the back. Night Annie." Depositing his battered cowboy hat on his head, Warren moved out of the room towards the door as Ben made his way towards the back of the house.

Mercy and Annie washed out the mugs and placed them in the drying rack just before Adam came into the kitchen.

The wolf was awake and angry, but trapped under an iron cage of control. Even so, Annie and Mercy could both feel the power of the animal so close to the surface.

"Bran will send Charles down here in a few days when he can spare him; in the meantime I'm tightening security. Jesse will be staying indoors. I don't want you going to work until whoever did this is dealt with." Adam stared at Mercy, his entire being focused on her. Annie was suddenly struck by how dangerous and scary Adam was and wondered why she hadn't noticed this before. If Mercy was at all uncomfortable, she didn't show it. Putting the last mug in the rack, she turned to face her mate.

"I have to go to work, but I can call Zee and ask him to help out." Moving towards her boyfriend, Mercy placed a calming hand on his arm. "They are hardly going to attack me in broad daylight, and we already know who is responsible. I will be fine."

Backing away from what was clearly a very private moment for the couple, Annie left the kitchen feeling more out of place than ever before. Walking down the hall, she crossed her arms over her chest. She was out of her league in all new territory. It was like playing a game but only knowing half the rules; all the other players had the advantage. Collapsing on the couch, Annie dragged the throw blanket off the back and curled up in it. Picking up the remote for the television, she refused to think about anything supernatural.

* * *

Looking over at the clock, Annie noticed it was almost 2am. She hadn't been able to sleep with so many questions buzzing through her head, so she had stayed up on the couch watching late night TV instead. Padding over to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee, Annie went over everything in her head. Someone was attacking this pack of wolves, and from what little she knew, they already had an idea of who that was. An old enemy perhaps? Her father had hidden family members from her, or hidden her from them. Well, she conceded, perhaps not hidden so much as failed to mention. She could hardly expect him to own up to having a bastard child to his entire family could she? Who were they? What were they like? They were werewolves, she knew that, but what exactly did that mean? All she knew about them was that they were dangerous, sometimes scary and liked to tell people what to do. Scowling at the dark liquid as she poured it into a mug, another disturbing thought popped into her head. Him. That cocky Englishman from dinner. Who was he to order her around like she was some ignorant child? And now he was out there somewhere, playing bodyguard. He might be trustworthy, he had chosen to protect the alpha's home after all, and Warren seemed to like him. But still, the way he stared at her! It made her feel so… uncomfortable.

Looking at her steaming cup of coffee, Annie rolled her eyes at herself. It didn't matter what that Ben guy was like, as soon as she moved in with Sam she wouldn't have to deal with him, except for when she visited Jesse. Looking at the clock again, Annie decided to make Warren a cup of coffee. It was a bit past 2 am he was still out there.

Walking to the front door armed with a steaming mug, Annie opened it up to reveal Warren leaning against a post by the stairs, looking out over the yard and river.

"Hey Warren, I got coffee." Annie said by way of greeting. He could already tell she was coming, so he hadn't been surprised by the door. Turning to see her, he smiled and reached for the mug.

"Thanks m'am. It's awful cold out here at night." Annie moved to stand beside him on the porch, still wrapped up in the cover from the couch.

"I thought werewolves liked the cold." She said, looking over at her companion. Warren nodded.

"We do, but it's still nice to know we're appreciated." Annie smiled as the old cowboy raised his mug in salute before taking a swig.

"Yeah, well, I was already up so it was no trouble." Warren nodded, an understanding expression on his face. The two were silent for a moment.

"So did you already give Ben his coffee?" Startled, Annie jumped.

"What? Um, no, I didn't. I mean, I didn't make him one." Annie stumbled over her words, missing Warren's smile completely as he hid it behind his cup. Of course she hadn't made him one. He was… creepy.

"I see, my mistake. You know though, if he's anything like I am, he could use one." At this the girl snorted, her blue eyes rolling to the side.

"I highly doubt he is anything like you." Warren smiled at her reaction. Ben sure had gotten under her skin already; he just hoped his young friend knew when to stop digging.

"I don't know, he'll surprise you. I wouldn't be so quick to judge." Looking out over the land again, Warren waited for the effect his comment would have. Sure enough, the girl beside him was silent, fidgeting slightly with the corner of her cover. After a few moments she shook her head as if to dislodge an idea from her head. Wrapping her arms tighter around herself, Annie straightened and moved back towards the door.

"I'm going to bed. Goodnight Warren." Warren saluted her with his mug as she left, barely keeping a straight face. As the door closed he was left with only his near empty cup of coffee and the lingering smell of her lie.

"You're welcome, Ben." He whispered under his breath.

* * *

Inside the house Annie scowled the entire time as she made another cup of coffee. Damn that annoying English jerk and damn that unassuming werewolf in his cowboy hat and damn the cold for making her feel guilty for not making more coffee. Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself. It didn't matter if she was making him coffee, or if Warren or Mercy or Adam or whoever else thought he was a nice guy. She didn't have to like Ben, and making coffee meant absolutely nothing to her. She was already up and had given one to Warren, so it was simply the fair and rational thing to do.

Picking up the coffee and squaring her shoulders, Annie continued to explain her own reasoning in her head as she walked out towards the back door.

* * *

Ben could hear bare footsteps coming closer from inside. It was probably Jesse, being too loud to be any of the weres or Mercy – they all moved so quiet it was harder to pick up. Turning around as the door swung open, Ben took a breath to tell Jesse to go back inside but was halted by the vision before him.

There, framed by the light coming from the open doorway, was Annie. Her jeans and plain tee shirt from earlier were partly covered in the small blanket she had wrapped around herself. Her blonde wavy hair was loose down her back and shoulders, slightly mussed and shimmering dark gold in the fake light. For a moment he was stunned, this was certainly not what he expected. His eyes caught her movement as she pulled at her bottom lip with her teeth, her discomfort obvious.

For all of the discussion Annie had with her brain, everything seemed to stop when she opened the door. Ben was standing only a few feet away, angled so that he was not fully in the light from the door, but half of his figure was in shadow. His eyes were visible in the yellow light, and she watched as they looked her over, taking in every detail. Looking away and extending her arms, Annie motioned for him to take the mug from her hand.

"I made coffee."

Looking down, Ben cocked his head slightly before reaching out to take the steaming mug. As his hand closed over the mug, her fingers grazed his, causing her to suck in a small breath. As soon as he had the cup she let go, pulling her hand back as though she had been burned.

"Thanks love." He said, the suggestive tone in his voice was more of a habit than anything, and he mentally winced when her eyes snapped to his, narrowed in distaste. He had a moment to think of how odd it was that he found he liked the fiesty look on her face before she spoke.

"It was Warren's idea, not mine." Her stance was defensive, and without anything further she was back inside, leaving Ben both confused and annoyed by the truth he heard, without knowing why he felt either.

* * *

_To be continued very soon._

_Until then, I hope you liked it._

_Quick._


End file.
